


bury me in memory

by Krewlak



Series: this has been said so many times (i'm not sure if it matters) [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Minor Alice Cooper/FP Jones II, Perks of Being a Wallflower Quotes, this is a halice fic though so don't expect anything from that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:34:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21961429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krewlak/pseuds/Krewlak
Summary: no one could ever say that alice smith was swept along by the current of life. a victim of circumstances. someone who settles for the easier path.no.alice smith made her own decisions and she stuck by them. come hell or high water, she stuck by them.
Relationships: Alice Cooper/Hal Cooper
Series: this has been said so many times (i'm not sure if it matters) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1324529
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	bury me in memory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bewareoftrips](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewareoftrips/gifts).



> KIM!!!! You are the queen of parentdale, a fic commentor extraordinaire, and the sweetest person in the Riverdale fandom. I always intended to write this fic but since I got your name in the exchange it kicked up my timeline just a wee bit. I'm sorry it's not 100% done. Time management isn't my strong suit but I couldn't wait any longer to post this for you. Fingers crossed you like!
> 
> UPDATED AUTHOR'S NOTE: 
> 
> here's the thing: this is how i always wanted to post this work but i did not get it done in time for the exchange deadlines. I posted it in chapters as i went because i wanted to get something out there and now that it's done, i've updated the formatting for this. unfortunately, that means all of the comments from the other chapters are gone. for that i am sorry. i hope you still enjoy the way this ends. :)

_We accept the love we think we deserve._

“You’re old enough,” Roger Smith mutters one night during dinner. It’s dry pork chops, from the box mashed potatoes, and canned green beans that look more grey than green. It’s disgusting but Alice had cooked it all by herself without being asked and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t eat every single bite with a smile on her face. “And I think it’s time.”

She knows what he’s talking about. She’d be stupid not to know and one thing Smiths weren’t is stupid. She’d heard that enough times from her father too. Everything she knows, she knows from him, so she can’t help the small burst of pride in her gut. She’s been waiting for this day. Waiting for the minute that he would realize that she wasn’t just little Allie anymore with the ratty pigtails and chipped sparkling nail polish. 

“If you think so, Daddy,” Alice says, trying to keep her smirk to herself. It wouldn't do to be too smug. Roger Smith didn’t like his women smug. Another thing she’d learned from eavesdropping on his late night porch sittings with FP Sr. 

“It ain’t just about what I think, Allie-girl,” Roger replies, giving her a long, hard stare. “You gotta earn your fangs like anyone else. Serpents ain’t a charity. We ain’t just going to let you in cause you’re my girl.”

“I know, Daddy,” Alice replies and this time she can’t help it. She rolls her eyes and frowns a little. “I earn my keep.”

“That you do,” Roger says with a nod. He takes another bite of pork chop, chews it for a long quiet moment. Alice does the same. Keeps her eyes on his, tries not to back down. Smiths don’t back down. “You’re sure you want this? Sure you’re ready for this?”

“I’m twelve, Daddy,” Alice says. “I’m the same age you were when you joined. I’m ready.”

“Alright,” Roger says with a nod. He puts his fork down, wipes his mouth with a napkin, and smiles at Alice. She sits up and smiles back at him, tilts her chin back in the way her dad always does before he puts his jacket on. “I’ll run it by the boys. Get a vote. Get you in the newest round of recruits. You’ll do me proud, won’t you Allie-girl?”

“Of course, Daddy,” Alice says with a serious nod. 

It doesn’t take more than a week before the trials begin. She learns the laws. Teaches Junior the laws as well, running them over and over again when they walk to and from school. Freddie Andrews trails behind them, complaining the whole time about how it isn’t fair that they get to join a club that he can’t be in. 

“It’s not a club, Freddie,” Alice says for the thousandth time. “It’s a family. A responsibility.”

“Yeah,” Junior mutters, nodding along even though he looks nervous as hell. He always looks nervous when Alice talks about joining like he hasn’t been waiting for this day with her since they were both old enough to understand what the snakes on the back of their dad’s jackets meant. “It’s important and you don’t even need to worry about it. It’s a Southside thing.”

“But that’s no fair,” Freddie complains. “We’ve done everything together and now you’re going to shut me out just because of where I live? Where’s the justice? Where’s the fairness?”

“Life isn’t always fair, Freddie,” Junior mutters, looping an arm around Freddie’s neck and pulling him in close. Freddie’s cheeks turn bright pink and he tries to smother a smile that just makes Alice roll her eyes. “But we’re still best friends.”

“Three amigos, F,” Freddie says easy enough. He reaches out to loop Alice around the neck with his arm, forcing her to walk at the same slow pace as them. “Best friends for life.”

“Yeah, yeah, Andrews,” Alice says, pushing at his face but not stepping out from under his arm. “Stop being so mushy.”

She balks when she sees Junior’s face after the gauntlet. He’s sporting two black eyes and a split lip. She’s sure that his nose is never going to be straight again and his front tooth is chipped. But he smiles when he sees her, turns his back to show off the snake he’s wearing. 

“How’s it look, Allie-cat?” Junior asks, adjusting the too big leather jacket on his skinny shoulders. “Badass, right?”

“It’s something, that’s for sure,” Alice mutters. She scratches the back of her neck before punching at his shoulder. “Stop showing off, Junior.”

“Hey,” he whines, gripping his shoulder. His knuckles are bruised to hell and Alice wonders if he was stupid enough to fight back as he went down the line. “That hurt.”

“I barely even hit you,” Alice points out, poking him in the same spot. He hisses and jerks back, stumbling a little to get away from her. “Jesus, Junior, what’d they do to you?”

“Nothing that I can’t handle,” he snaps quickly. “Just don’t need you poking at my bruises making them worse. And quit calling me Junior.”

“What am I supposed to call you then? Forsythe?” Alice asks, rolling her eyes. She swallows down the nerves that are climbing up her throat, trying to choke her. Girls don’t go through the gauntlet like the boys do but it doesn’t help seeing the way they’d beaten Junior up close. Family isn’t supposed to hurt you like that. 

“Hell no!” Junior replies. “Just FP.”

“FP?” Alice asks, raising both her eyebrows. “You trying to sound cool or something?”

“New jacket. New name is all,” he replies with a shrug. She thinks she can see a blush rising beneath the bruises on his face. At least she can still make him blush like the idiot that he is. “Roger says that if I want to be a man then I need to start going by a man’s name.”

“Roger?” Alice repeats. “Since when do you call my dad by his name?”

“Since he told me to,” Junior replies with a shrug. She tries to correct herself. To call him FP in her head but he’s always been Junior to her. He’ll always be Junior to her. “I’m a man now, Allie-cat.”

“Oh brother,” Alice mutters, rolling her eyes. She punches Junior in the shoulder and wraps an arm around his neck. “Well since you’re a man now, why don’t you buy me and Freddie a shake at Pop’s?”

“I never said I had any money,” Junior whines as he wraps an arm around her waist and turns them towards Pops. “Now you’re just putting words in my mouth.”

It takes two more weeks before she shows up at the Wyrm with her father. It’s her turn for the gauntlet, her turn to do the Serpent dance. All the girls in the gang have done it, have gotten up on that stage and stripped herself bare for everyone to see. 

“You get up there and you do your part, girl,” Roger Smith says, voice gruff, with a shove to Alice’s lower back. She stumbles a little but can’t make herself move any closer to the stage. The crowd of bikers is rowdy tonight, shouting and laughing and throwing things. “You wanted this girl. Do your part.”

“Daddy,” Alice whispers, nerves choking her throat. She looks at him over her shoulder with wide eyes. “I don’t wanna.”

Roger Smith scoffs and rolls his eyes, “Of course you don’t.”

Alice feels her stomach drop. Dread floods through her veins and she turns back to the stage. It’s empty but the spotlight is centered on the middle, waiting for her to take her place. Two other girls had gone up there tonight. Two new recruits that were both older than her, braver than her, wanted it more than her. 

“You get up there, Alice Smith,” Roger mutters, pushing her forward. Alice looks over her shoulder with wide eye but she’s not looking at her dad anymore. She’s looking at the Serpent King. She’s looking at the man who could quiet this entire room with a word if he wanted to. “You get up there and do your dance like every other girl in this gang. I told you. No special treatment even if you are a Smith.”

Alice can see Junior laughing with Tommy Topaz. Can see Hog Eye behind the bar and Suzie Peabody mumbling into her youngest daughter’s ear. Alice doesn’t know if Penny has done the dance. She’s only ten but the Peabodys are a strange bunch. Serpents since birth is what her dad says. Senior is making his way through the crowd, hungry eyes on Alice for a brief moment before he looks to Roger with raised eyebrows. 

“She’s being chicken shit,” Roger mutters as Senior comes up to them. He pulls the man into a hug, patting him on the back, before they turn to Alice as one. “Doesn’t want to do the dance.”

“Junior acted up just before the gauntlet,” Senior says with a grunt. He smirks at Alice, eyeing her up and down. “Told him if he wanted to act like a pussy he could do the dance instead. That got his ass moving. Maybe we put your girl through the gauntlet. Not like she’s got much going on to put on a good show anyways.”

Roger elbows Senior in the gut, muttering something about respect but there’s a smirk on his face. Alice inhales sharply and spins on her heel, heading to the stage. She hears her dad call her name, feels a hang on her shoulder as she pulls herself up onto the stage. She turns to face the crowd and feels herself freeze. 

The music gets turned down and the entire crowd turns to look at her. Junior is staring at her with wide eyes, Tommy Topaz muttering something in his ear. Whatever it is, his face clouds over and he punches Tommy in the stomach. Alice is sure she doesn’t want to know. The Peabodys are sneering at her, Gerald Peabody has appeared from wherever he was. He’s got a hand on the back of Penny’s neck, forcing her to stare up at Alice with wide eyes. 

The music starts back up and people begin to heckle, shouting and throwing things the longer she stands up there without moving. Her father is standing at the back still, watching her with crossed arms. He’s not going to save her. He wants her to flounder and run away. She can see it on his face, can see him waiting for the moment when she backs out. He might have suggested that she’s ready to join but she knows he’s been waiting for her to fail. 

Alice Smith takes a deep breath and makes a decision. 

_Enjoy it. Because it's happening._

The summer before sophomore year, Alice grows boobs and she hates it. Hates the eyes on her when she walks through the trailer park. Hates the way none of her shirts fit. Hates that she has to go bra shopping by herself without any guidance. Hates that Junior can’t seem to have a conversation with her without glancing down at her chest. 

“Come on, Allie, it’s the quarry! You can’t wear a shirt the whole damn time,” Junior complains as they settle on the rocks. Freddie is already off sweet-talking Hermione, leaving them on their own. “You’re going to die from heat stroke or something.”

“Stop acting like you care about my health, Junior,” Alice hisses, yanking her towel away from him. She lays it out and sits down, crossing her legs and glaring at the water. “You just want a peek like every other perv in our grade.”

“It’s not my fault I’m a guy!” Junior cries, sitting down next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Allie-cat, you’re still like one of the guys. Promise.”

“Remind me that next time Freddie prances around in his track shorts,” Alice mutters, shrugging his arm off her shoulders. 

“You’re not fun anymore,” Junior grumbles, stripping his shirt off. She doesn’t even pay attention to him, doesn’t turn away from the slew of classmates laughing and splashing in the water. “I’m going to go find Freddie.”

“You do that,” Alice mutters, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on her forearms. Junior hesitates for a long minute and Alice can feel his eyes boring into the side of her face. She doesn’t look at him, refuses to give into his silent argument. She’s never lost a fight with Junior, she sure as hell isn’t going to start now.

“Fine, be that way,” he hisses before standing up. 

He kicks her towel before marching away, muttering under his breath the whole time. Alice finally turns to watch his retreating form. She can see his Serpent tattoo curling around his side. Alice shifts so that her shorts are a little lower, hiding hers a little better. 

She’s not ashamed. She’s worn her jacket all around town ever since she got it but something about showing off the tattoo makes her nervous. The looks she gets, the whispers she hears. It all makes her skin crawl and the snake does nothing to protect her. Not the way she thought it would. Not the way her dad had made it sound. 

“Hey Alice,” Hal Cooper says as he walks by, a soda in each hand. Alice squints up at him and he flinches back a little. She tries to smooth her scowl off her face. “How you doing?”

“Fine,” she answers shortly. They’ve never talked. Not once in the years that they’ve gone to school together. He’s a Cooper. She’s a Smith. They just don’t mix. “What do you want?”

Hal shoves one of the sodas in her direction and stammers, “Pen said I brought her the wrong soda. Something about diet root beer or whatever. And you looked hot. I mean, like warm not . . . not hot-hot. Not that you aren’t, I mean. I just. Do you want a soda?”

Aice tries not to laugh at him outright. He’s blushing, his ears turning bright red, and it’s not a terrible look. Alice appreciates that he’d plowed through whatever it was he was trying to do. At least he had something that resembled a backbone. Alice had one too. 

“Nah, I don’t want Penelope Blossom’s cast me off,” Alice says, shaking her head. His face drops and Alice can’t help but let her laughter out. “You’re too easy, Cooper. Sit down and give me the soda.”

The smile that breaks out across Hal’s face is bright enough to rival the sun glaring down on them. He sits down on the rock next to her, giving her plenty of space, and hands her the soda. There’s already a straw sticking out the top of the can that makes Alice smile a little. Hal doesn’t say anything as they drink their sodas. It’s nice in a way to just sit in silence and it not be awkward. Between Freddie and Junior, Alice isn’t used to this kind of quiet. 

“So, bringing girls sodas,” Alice says when she’s halfway through her coke. “Does that always work for you, Hal Cooper?”

“What do you mean?” Hal asks. His cheeks are pink but Alice isn’t sure if its because of the sun or her.

“I think you know what I mean,” Alice teases. She bumps his shoulder with her own and swears that she can see him hold his breath. “You always offer sodas to girls just to talk to them?”

“You think I just offer any old girl a free soda?” Hal asks with a laugh. “Nah. That’s not me.”

“So I’m special then?” Alice asks. She feels warm inside, feels her stomach twist up a little. He turns that blinding smile to her again. 

“I think you’re fishing for compliments,” he mutters, turning away from her. He squints up at the sun and takes a slurping sip from his soda. “I’m sure you have guys falling all over themselves trying to tell you how pretty you are.”

Alice feels herself blush a little. Pretty isn’t really a word she hears all that often. It catches her off guard to hear such a simple, sweet word thrown her way. It’s stupid feeling this way. Especially over something so small. 

“That sounds like a backhanded compliment, Hal Cooper,” Alice finally replies. She pulls the straw from her soda and chugs down the last of the sticky sweet warm drink. She chews on the straw when she’s done, glaring down at the water. “Did Marty put you up to this or something?” 

“Marty? Marty Mantle?” Hal asks, frowning at her profile. Alice can feel his blue eyes burning into the side of her face but she won’t turn to look at him. She refuses. 

“Yeah,” Alice mutters around the straw. “Did he, like, dare you talk to me or something?”

“Why would he do that?” Hal asks, losing none of the innocent confusion in his voice. It doesn’t help her to keep up her resolve. “He barely even talks to me. You know that stupid wrestling team versus the football team rivalry or whatever.”

“Seems like something he would, that’s all,” Alice says with a shrug. “Can’t quite figure out why else you’d come talk to me. We aren’t really friends, Cooper.”

“Maybe I wanted to change that,” Hal says, mimicking her shrug. It looks awkward on him with his broad shoulders that he hasn’t quite grown into just yet. “Maybe I’ve wanted to be your friend for a while now.”

Alice finally looks at him with raised eyebrows, “My friend? You, Hal Cooper, wanted to be my friend?”

“You know, no one really questions when someone’s nice to them,” Hal points out. He finishes off his soda and sets the empty can between them. Alice feels like it’s a wall that she can’t cross. 

“Well I’m not like most people, am I?” she snaps back, glaring at that stupid soda can. 

“Definitely not, Alice Smith,” Hal says. She likes the way his name rolls off his tongue so easily like he’s said it before. It’s a stupid thought to have. She doesn’t have a special name, not something that’s hard to remember or pronounce, but it’s nice all the same. 

Alice tries to think of something smart to say, something that’ll make him blush or look away from her again but her mind is drawing a blank. The only thing she can do is move the coke can from between them and letting her leg press against his slightly. He jerks but doesn’t move away. Alice takes that for the win it is and smiles around her straw. Hal looks like he’s gearing up to say something when Freddie skids to a stop in front of them. 

“Allie, I need your help,” he pants, kneeling down in front of them. He gives Hal a customary smile, not really seeing him. “Hermione convinced Mary to throw a party since her parents are out of town.”

“And?” Alice replies, knowing where this was going. Junior saunters up to them a few seconds later, raising his eyebrows at Hal before sitting down next to Freddie and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“And I need you to do my hair, Allie,” Freddie whines. Alice rolls her eyes and shakes her head, getting ready to say no. “Come on, Allie, you’re the only one who I trust to do it.”

“Let Junior do your hair,” Alice says, pointing at him with her straw. “He preens enough in the mirror. I’m sure he can handle it.”

“Don’t go hating my good looks, Allie-cat, just cause you don’t got ‘em,” Junior says with a smirk. He glances at her covered chest and Alice clenches her jaw. “Though you got other things going for you.”

“You’re a pig, Junior,” Alice snaps. 

“Oink oink, Allie-cat,” he replies. Alice knows that he’s playing up the attitude just because Hal is sitting next to her. It doesn’t mean that she can’t hate it. She always hates it when he plays these games around other people. 

“A party sounds like fun,” Hal interjects. He doesn’t flinch when the three of them turn their attention to him. “I mean, since school is starting soon and all that. It could be a good way to end the summer, you know?”

“I don’t think you’re invited, Coop,” Junior mutters, glaring at him. 

“If Freddie is invited then I’m sure Hal is too,” Alice says before Hal can say anything. She narrows her eyes at Freddie and he gives her the brightest smile he can muster. “You are invited, right Freddie?”

“It’s a party, Allie,” Freddie says slowly. “Everyone’s invited.”

“Hermione was talking to Mary like Freddie wasn’t even there,” Junior supplies, rolling his eyes. “You know how she is.”

“I always thought Hermione was nice,” Hal mutters, scratching the back of his neck. Again he becomes the center of their attention. “She’s always been nice to me.”

“Is anyone ever mean to you, Coop?” Junior asks, snorting a little.

Alice kicks her leg out, hitting Junior in the shin. He groans and glares at her but she just glares back at him until Freddie waves a hand between them, “Look. We can all show up as, like, a group. Hermione won’t be able to say anything if we’re all together, right?”

“Since when is Cooper part of the group?” Junior asks. 

“Since today,” Alice snaps. She turns to look at Hal with raised eyebrows. “Right, Hal?”

“If you want, Alice,” Hal says with that bright smile again. Alice finds herself smiling back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. For a millisecond, it’s just the two of them. “I think it’ll be a good time.”

“I think it’ll be a good time,” Junior repeats, lowering his voice in a bad impersonation of Hal. Alice scowls and turns to glare at him. He’s not paying any attention to her though. He’s too busy giggling with Freddie like a moron. “Well, golly gee, Coop. You sure your mommy isn’t going to have a problem with you hanging out with a bunch of hooligans?”

“Very funny, Jones,” Hal mutters, rolling his eyes. 

“It’s FP, Coop,” Junior mutters, frowning. “And I wasn’t joking. You sure your mommy isn’t going to call the cops cause her precious baby is out drinking?”

“I have been to a party before, Junior,” Hal says slowly. The nickname sounds like an insult coming from Hal and Junior bristles a little. “Plus what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”

“Look at you, Hal!” Freddie shouts, trying to diffuse the situation. “Spend five minutes with Alice Smith and you just turn into a little rebel, don’t you? I like it!”

“We all do,” Alice says with a pointed look at Hal. “It’s a good look on you, Cooper.”

“Oh yeah, just swell,” FP mutters, rolling his eyes. Alice almost kicks at him again but he just stands up. “I’m gonna head home. See if I can steal a few of my dad’s beers for tonight or something.”

“I’ll come with,” Freddie offers. “Plus I need you to help me pick out what to wear tonight.”

“What do you need my help for?” FP groans as he holds a hand out to Freddie. He pulls him up, wrapping an arm around Fred’s neck and pulling him close. Fred complains about FP messing up his hair but FP ignores it. “I’ll see you tonight, Allie-cat. We can walk over to Mary’s together.”

“Oh, well, I was going to say,” Hal starts before Alice can say anything. His cheeks are still an embarrassing shade of pink. “That if you want. We could get a malt first then go together?” 

“A malt?” FP groans, rolling his eyes. “And then maybe after you two can go to the sock hop together?”

Hal doesn’t look at FP, just keeps his eyes on Alice. She bites her bottom lip, trying to hold back her smile. Hal’s cute. He’s always been cute and, while Alice Smith has never chased after a boy in her entire life, she never thought that he would ever look twice at her. 

Alice Smith ignores FP’s running commentary, looks deep into Hal Cooper’s big blue eyes, and makes a decision. 

_Things change. And friends leave. Life doesn't stop for anybody._

“Looks like your boy’s parents have it out for you, girlie,” Roger Smiths murmurs as Alice pours herself a cup of coffee. She’d worked a double shift at Pop’s and was exhausted. She doesn’t even look at her father before sipping from her mug. “Guess those Northside suckers haven’t bought your little act, huh?”

“What are you talking about, Dad?” Alice replies with a sigh. He stabs a meaty finger into Saturday Registry in front of him on the table. Alice sits down and squints at the newprint. Her stomach drops when she sees the mugshot that was taken late last year on the front. “What the fuck?”

“What the fuck, indeed,” Roger mutters, crossing his arms. “Remind me again about how they don’t hold it against you that you’re from the Southside?”

“They didn’t write the article, Dad,” Alice mutters, trying to swallow down the bile that’s creeping up the back of her throat. “This doesn’t mean anything.”

“They’re the editors,” Roger says with a snort. “You think they didn’t know the shit was going to be on their front page? You think they didn’t know they were screwing over our business?”

Alice doesn’t even read the article. The headline is enough for her: SOUTHSIDE TEEN ARRESTED AND RELEASED ON BAIL. 

“Wonder if your boy knew too?” Roger asks, knowing that the thought has already crossed her mind. Knowing that all he’s doing is rubbing salt in the wound. He goes to make himself another pot of coffee, tipping a splash of bourbon in. Alice narrows her eyes in distaste. “He didn’t warn you that the storm was coming?”

“What do you care?” Alice snaps because she can’t help herself. Because she needs to rail against something in this bullshit situation and her dad seems like the perfect candidate. “It’s what I get for messing around with a Northside boy isn’t, Dad?”

“Hey!” he shouts, voice deep and echoing in the small space. Alice can’t help the flinch that follows. She feels like she’s twelve years old again, loving him just as much as she’s terrified of him. She hates it. “You don’t talk to me like that. You respect your elders, you hear me?”

Alice nods but that’s not good enough for Roger, “I asked you a question, Alice.”

“Yessir,” Alice hisses quickly. Roger grunts and relaxes against the counter. Slowly, Alice’s shoulders shrink down from her shoulders. Her eyes scan over the article again as she finishes her coffee. It doesn’t go into detail about what she was arrested for. Just offered a casual explanation for the graffiti that had started popping up on the Northside, the snakes that started gracing the sides of buildings. “I need to get going.”

“Going to talk to your boy?” Roger asks with raised eyebrows. That’s exactly what she plans on doing but she doesn’t want to admit as much to her father. He saves her from having to say anything, gesturing at her with his coffee mug. “Go on then. Run into his big burly arms and see if he can save you from this. Lord knows you don’t want to deal with this like the goddamn Serpent you are.” 

Alice grits her teeth and bites back the retort that’s forming on her lips. She grabs her backpack from the hook by the front door and her shoes not bothering to even put them on before she stomps out of the trailer. She doesn’t want to give her father the chance to see her shaking, to hear the way she’s panting out of sheer panic. 

_ It’s not that bad, _ a part of her whispers. The article isn’t so bad and no one in Riverdale could ever say that Alice Smith was a good apple. She was Southside, a Serpent by choice, with a bad attitude. She knew that there was going to be a day when her life caught up with the fantasy that she’d been living with Hal. 

She shakes her head, tries to shake the thought from her mind. Hal loves her. He loves Alice Smith with the too big t-shirts and loud boots. Alice Smith with the chipped nail polish and the fastest sprint in gym class. Alice Smith with the need to know the truth that lead her to editing the Blue & Gold with Hal. He loves her for all of her faults and all of her positives and he would have warned her. She knows that he would. 

She keeps repeating that to herself as she marches across Sunnyside towards Pop’s and the Northside. The trailer park is quiet this early in the morning, everyone still sleeping off the night before and children chased off towards Pickens Park where they can be loud without bothering anyone. The porch light of FP’s trailer is lit up, begging her to stop by and bitch before she goes to Hal. But she doesn’t want FP’s form of comfort, the kind where he calls Hal a jackass and tells Alice that she can do better than a stuck-up Cooper. 

She doesn’t want lies to soothe this burn. She wants the truth. 

Mr. Cooper is already in his front yard, mowing the grass when Alice steps onto Elm Street. He doesn’t pause in his yard work when Alice walks up the path to the red front door. He doesn’t even notice her until she’s standing on the porch, arms crossed over her stomach. He wipes at his forehead with the back of his hand, “Alice. You’re here early.”

“I was wondering if Hal was home?” Alice asks, keeping her voice neutral. She wants to ask about the paper, wants to know why he did it, why he allowed something like that to be printed. Did the Coopers hate her that much? Did she damage the image of the perfect family so drastically? “I need to talk to him about something.”

“Oh, well, he might be,” Mr. Cooper says slowly. He puts his hands on his hips and squints up at the house. “He was supposed to run to Greendale with his mother. Pick up supplies for the paper.”

He doesn’t offer to let her into the house, doesn’t move away from his lawn mower. They stare at each other across the expanse of freshly trimmed lawn and perfectly situated flowers, neither of them willing to back down even an inch. Just as Alice is getting ready to suggest that she let herself into the house, Hal steps out onto the porch behind her. 

“Alice?” Hal asks, looking between her and his father. “What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you, Hal,” Alice says without explanation. She turns her back on Mr. Cooper and looks over Hal’s shoulder to where Mrs. Cooper is standing just inside the door. “It’s important.”

“Well, yeah, of course,” Hal says with a nod. He glances at his mother and shrugs. “You can handle the trip to Greendale on your own, right Mom?”

“Hal, you told your mother that you’d help her out today,” Mr. Cooper interjects quickly, always one to insist that people honor their word.

“I can handle it, Jerry,” Mrs. Cooper says quickly, eyes still on Alice. “Let Hal have the day with his friend.”

Mr. Cooper hums and rolls his eyes before going back to his mower. Alice takes Hal’s hand and drags him down the front walk without another word. Hal laces their fingers together and tries to slow their pace but Alice doesn’t let up until they’re well away from his parent’s house.

“Alice,” Hal says, pulling her to stop in Pickens Park. “Allie, slow down. What’s going on?”

“Did you know, Hal?” she asks without any preamble. Hal frowns and opens his mouth to ask another stupid question. “About the article? Did you know that your parents greenlit that article?”

“What article? I haven’t looked at the paper today yet,” Hal mutters. His eyes crinkle at the corners when he’s confused and usually Alice finds it adorable. Not today. Today it’s just frustrating. “Did they post something about the Serpents or something?”

“Not the Serpents, Hal, me!” Alice hisses. She runs a hand through her hair and swallows the lump in her throat. “My mugshot to be more specific. Right there on the front page.”

“Oh,” he says, deflating slightly. “That.”

“Yeah, that,” Alice repeats, narrowing her eyes. “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Alice, it’s not that I knew,” he starts in that calming voice he uses when she’s being unreasonable. She hates that fucking voice. 

“Then what is it, Hal?” Alice says through clenched teeth. 

“I didn’t know that they were going to publish it is all,” he continues slowly, running a hand through his hair. The sun glints off the blonde in his hair and she’s reminded just how handsome he is, how very much he looks the part of the Northside boy. “They threatened, of course, but I didn’t think they’d go through with it.”

“Why the fuck would they threaten that, of all things, Hal?” Alice groans, covering her eyes. “Why the fuck would they do that?”

“You know how my parents are about my future,” Hal mutters, scuffing his shoe against the pavement. “I mentioned Boston and they weren’t exactly happy about it.”

“Goddammit, Hal!” Alice shouts, drawing the attention of a couple of passing mothers. They narrow their eyes at Alice but she just glares back until they walk away. “We agreed that we’d tell them after our acceptance letters came in. Why blow it now?”

“Because I don’t like keeping secrets, Alice,” Hal says slowly. “You know I don’t. You know that I wasn’t okay with keeping this from them. They’re my parents.”

“Yeah, your parents that would rather slander my reputation then let their precious baby run off with the Southside slut, right?” Alice snaps, almost regretting the words as they come out of her mouth. 

Hal’s face clouds over with irritation, with that Cooper temper that can match her own sometimes, “It’s not like the whole town didn’t already know about the bust last month, Alice. This is old news and none of it matters.”

“It matters to me!” Alice shouts again. “Why don’t you get that?”

“It’s never mattered before what this town thinks!” Hal snaps back, waving a hand behind them. “Hell, it’s never mattered what my parents think. Why is it such a big deal now?”

“It’s the principle of the matter, Hal,” Alice says, stepping towards him. “It’s the fact that you knew and didn’t even think to tell me.”

“I told you!” Hal snaps. “I didn’t think that they would actually go through with it.”

“Whatever, Hal,” Alice mutters, shaking her head. She bites her thumb nail and tries to ignore the way her heart is pounding in her chest. She can feel the words forming at the back of her throat, words that she’s sure to regret but that she can’t fight all the same. “Maybe your parents are right. Maybe I am no good for you.”

“Don’t say that, Alice,” Hal says instantly, stepping forward. “You know I don’t think that. I don’t think that at all. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve done nothing but fuck up my life, Coop,” Alice mutters, using the nickname that Hal hates. He flinches back and shoves his hands into his pockets. “You should find another date for Marty’s party tonight.”

“What are you talking about, Alice?” Hal says quietly. “I’m not going without you.”

“Well then I guess you’re not going then are you?” Alice asks, raising an eyebrow at him. Hal’s face drops in shock and Alice can’t bring herself to care at that exact moment. She’s still angry, still riding that righteous high knowing that Hal hadn’t done anything to stop this. “Just thought you’d want someone with you to save face, you know? Seems like you Coopers are real worried about that kind of shit.”

“Alice,” Hal says softly, soft enough that she almosts breaks but she sees the looks that are thrown her way by the people in the park. She knows distaste when she sees it, knows when she’s being judged. But it’s different now. Now, there’s the final nail in her coffin in the form of that damn news article. “Please.”

“See ya, Coop,” Alice says, flicking him off before she spins on her heel and walks away. 

He doesn’t chase after her and that’s what gets her crying after all. She cries all the way back to Sunnyside, heading straight for FP’s door. It’s unlocked like she expects and FP is passed out on the couch. She doesn’t think before she sits on the carpet in front of the couch and turns the TV on, elbowing FP behind her, “Wake up, jackass.”

“Fuck,” FP grunts, rolling over and pressing his face into the back of the couch. “It’s summer, Alice. I don’t need you waking me up for school and shit.”

“It’s almost eleven, stupid,” Alice mutters as she flicks through the basic channels. There’s nothing on and she shouldn’t be surprised. There’s never anything worth watching on Saturday mornings. “Why do you have the shitty cable package? You never get anything good.”

“So go home,” FP grumbles. “Stop barging into my house and shitting on my stuff.”

“But it’s so much fun,” Alice mutters, leaning her head back and staring up at the ceiling. “I think Hal and I just broke up.”

“About damn time,” FP says just like she predicted. 

“Fuck you, Junior,” she replies just to get on his nerves. 

“I’m just saying, you’re too good for that stick in the mud,” FP says, rolling over so that she can see his face out of the corner of her eye. “Or maybe he’s too good for you. I can’t keep it straight anymore. The point is, Allie-cat, you don’t have to lug that wet blanket around anymore.”

“I happen to like that wet blanket,” Alice says, turning her face to look at him fully. He’s got a black eye and a split lip. Evidence enough that he went to visit Senior. “When you gonna stop going by his place?”

“Probably around the time you stop living with your old man,” FP says with a shrug. “It ain’t that bad. Looks worse than it actually is.”

“Looks plenty bad from here,” Alice says, reaching out to touch the bruise blooming around his eye. He flinches back from her and Alice rolls her eyes. “Let me get you something cold for that. You got peas?”

“You know I hate peas,” FP says softly as Alice gets up from the floor. She rolls her eyes and goes to the freezer for the pack of peas that she’d left here the last time Senior had kicked the crap out of FP. “I hope you’re not trying to, like, have a crying session or whatever over Coop. Cause if you are, you should just head on over to Freddie’s.”

“Fuck you, FP,” Alice says as she tosses the bag of peas his way. He presses it to his eye with a slight hiss and sits up on the couch. “I don’t feel like going home right now is all. Nothing to do with Hal Cooper.”

“You sure about that?” FP asks, raising his good eyebrow. “You sure you’re all done playing the prince and the pauper with him?”

“It doesn’t matter, does it?” Alice replies with a shrug. She sits down on the couch and pulls her knees to her chest. She doesn’t even feel like pointing out that the prince and the pauper isn’t the right story. “I don’t want to talk about Hal Cooper. I want to watch cartoons and then I want to get a chocolate shake and then I want to go to Marty’s party. That’s all.”

“I can get all that shit done,” FP says. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into his side. “No Serpent stands alone and all that shit.”

“I hate when you quote the laws at me like a jackass,” Alice mutters but she relaxes into his side, letting the tension drain out of her limbs. “Especially since you wouldn’t even know them if it weren’t for me.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re the smart one and I’m the pretty one,” FP says, laughing a little. “We know already. We know.”

That night, Marty’s house is packed to the brim. It spills out into the backyard and Alice can see everyone from their class. It’s the first major party of the summer and everyone had come out to celebrate. Freddie is already hanging off of Hermione, talking her ear off even though she’s not paying him any attention. Mary is, of course, soaking up every word Freddie has to offer. 

FP stiffens up a little against Alice’s side. She wraps an arm around his waist and guides them away. FP drapes his arm around her shoulders and squeezes tight. She tries not to shift under the attention his damn varsity jacket pulls to them. Everyone is used to the Serpent jacket she wears, it’s invisible at these parties, but this is the first time she’s seen FP’s BMOC act up close and personal. Usually, she was with Hal and was sufficiently distracted from FP’s bullshit. 

He holds his hand up for Marty Mantle to high five before it turns into some intricate hand-shake that she can’t be bothered to follow. Alice rolls her eyes and looks around the party some more. FP loops his arm around her neck again just as Hal and Penelope walk through the door. Penelope has her arm looped through Hal’s, red mouth barely an inch away from his ear. 

Alice’s blood runs cold. 

Hal sees her instantly and his eyes widen, flicking between her and FP. Penelope doesn’t notice that Hal is distracted, still clinging to his arm with a pleased smile as they walk through the crowded living room. Alice doesn’t move, doesn’t turn away from them once. She’s still as stone and it’s enough for FP to notice, “Don’t worry about them, Alice. They deserve each other.”

“Yeah,” Alice murmurs, barely audible over the music and laughter that fills the room. 

Hal pauses at the foot of the stairs, eyes still on her, before he steers Penelope upstairs. Part of Alice insists that it’s just to drop off their coats and nothing more but that angry part of her comes rearing up with a vengeance. She glares at their backs until they disappear before grabbing FP by the collar of that stupid letterman jacket. His eyes widen just the tiniest bit before she presses her mouth to his forcefully. It takes him a moment, the longest moment of her life, before he starts to kiss her back. 

When she pulls away, Hal and Penelope are back without their jackets and staring at her with wide eyes. Penelope looks like the cat who got the canary but Hal . . . Hal looks sick to his stomach. Alice feels her stomach drop, feels stupid for assuming, but FP’s hands are on her hips and she remembers that damned article again. She turns back to FP who’s staring at her like she’s the second coming and makes a decision. 

_This moment will just be another story someday._

“Alice,” Fred says from the doorway to the employee bathroom. “This is the third time that you’ve puked today.”

“What’s your point, Andrews?” Alice mutters as she wipes at her mouth. She leans against the sink and closes her eyes, trying to catch her breath. 

“My point is that you should probably go home,” Fred says slowly. He steps into the bathroom and puts a hand on the back of her neck. “You don’t have a fever or anything but you clearly aren’t well.”

“I think something I ate isn’t agreeing with me,” Alice says, shaking her head. She looks at Fred over her shoulder in the mirror and tries to grin a little. “It’s nothing, Freddie.”

“I’m just saying,” Fred replies, rubbing at the back of his neck and glancing over his shoulder. He sighs and leans forward a little, not looking her in the eye even in the mirror. “Maybe you’re. You’re. You know.”

Alice raises an eyebrow at Fred and scoffs, “No, Frederick. I don’t know.”

“I’m just saying,” Fred replies with a sigh, leaning back on his heels. He holds up both hands. “As your friend and all that. I know you’ve been running around with FP all summer and he’s not exactly careful, Alice.”

“And what?” Alice snaps, knowing exactly what he’s getting at. She doesn’t think she’s ever been so insulted by Fred Andrews in her life. She splashes water on her face and tries to calm her temper, tries to wash away some of the sickly green that’s still on her face. “You think I don’t know that? You think I’m playing it fast and loose with FP  _ Jones _ ? Are you kidding me with this shit, Fred?”

“I’m just trying to be a friend,” Fred groans, raising his hands in surrender. “Just saying that I don’t judge and I’m here for you if you want.”

“Jesus Christ,” Alice says, shaking her head. She turns around and faces Fred, crossing her arms and resting her lower back against the sink. She can feel the wet from sink seeping into her uniform but she doesn’t care. She tries to pick her words carefully because she doesn’t want any confusion. “FP and I? We’re not a thing. We’ve made out a few times but we’ve never done anything more than that, okay?”

Fred narrows his eyes at her, searching her face for any kind of lie. When he doesn’t find out, when he believes that she’s 100% genuine, he smiles bright and relaxes about thirty degrees, “Oh thank god.”

“You’re ridiculous, Fred Andrews,” Alice says. She dries her hands with a paper towel and adjusts her ponytail. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to work.”

As soon as Alice steps out of the bathroom, the smell of meat frying and the grease from the french fries hits her nose. She takes a minute to try and stop the way her stomach roils in rebellion. She pinches her nose, silently commanding herself to pull it together. Fred steps out behind her and puts a hand on her shoulder, “Maybe you should just head home anyways? It’s pretty slow today, after all.”

Alice nods once before going to the back office to grab her bag and her jacket. Once she’s outside of Pop’s, the fresh air quiets her stomach immediately. Alice takes a deep breath and slings her jacket on not paying attention to the familiar station wagon that’s pulling into the parking lot. She’s done a decent job of avoiding Hal all summer. He’s been spending more time at the Register, less time at parties this past summer without her to drag him out of the house on a Saturday night.

Penelope hops out of the station wagon first, red curls framing her face. She looks like she’s been crying but there’s still a smile playing on the corner of her mouth as she looks at Hal across the hood of the car. Alice tries to swallow down the raging envy that fills her stomach and threatens to choke her. Or maybe she’s just going to puke again. 

“I’m telling you Hal Cooper,” Penelope says, shaking her head. “Highsmith has an excellent English program. I could become the next Anna Quindlen!”

“You’ve never cared about journalism once, Penny,” Hal says, shaking his head. He tucks his keys in his pocket and doesn’t even notice Alice in the shadows of the dumpster. She knows that she should step forward and say something, anything other than just watching like a creep, but she can’t make herself move. “What was it that you’d said when I took over the Blue & Gold? You didn’t want to be the one telling the story? You wanted to be what the story was about?”

“Well, maybe I’ve set my goals onto something slightly more realistic,” she says softly. Alice thinks she can hear tears in her voice but she’s not sure. She’s heard Penelope Blossom cry plenty of times but something about her face, scrubbed clean of makeup, and her clothes, plain jeans and a sweatshirt that looks three sizes too big, says that this is something different. “Besides, it’s a miracle at all that Rose is letting me go to college. Blossom women don’t need a higher education or didn’t you know?”

“You know exactly how I feel about the Blossoms,” Hal says with a frown. The whole town knew about the Cooper-Blossom rivalry and Hal wasn’t shy about repeating the sordid tale a land grab gone wrong to anyone who would listen. “But we’re not supposed to be talking about Rose, remember? We’re here to drown our sorrows in chocolate shakes.”

“You know I prefer strawberry,” Penelope says with a pout. Hal rolls his eyes and moves around the car up, arm out and ready to land across Penelope’s shoulders. That’s when he notices her. Sees her lurking in the shadows with her Serpent jacket on, breath smelling of puke. It’s a lovely sight, she’s sure. “Hal?”

“Alice,” Hal says, calling her from the shadows and stepping into the sunlight. His arm drops down to his side, hand going into his pocket. “What’re you doing here?”

“Just heading home,” Alice murmurs. She looks down at her uniform and raises an eyebrow. “Isn’t is obvious?”

Penelope scoffs but Hal’s eyes don’t leave Alice. He smirks a little and nods, “Yeah, right, of course. I thought you closed on Sundays?”

Alice blushes a little that he remembers her schedule so well, “Yeah, well, puking your guts out gets you sent home real fast.”

“That’s disgusting,” Penelope murmurs. She frowns and takes a step back. “You’re not contagious are you?”

“Jesus, Pen,” Alice groans. “I ate something rotten. I don’t have the plague.”

“That’s too bad,” Hal says, tilting his head a little to catch her eye again. “Do you have the truck today?”

She shakes her head and continues to talk to him like there isn’t a moat of hurt between them, “Nah, Roger has it. I was just going to walk home.”

“Well, you can’t walk home if you’re not feeling well,” Hal says with a frown. His eyes get crinkly and Alice feels something inside of her unclench. She feels tears start to pool in her eyes and it’s the worst thing that could happen. Alice coughs and turns her head quickly but she’s sure that he saw. “Let me give you a ride, Alice.”

“I don’t,” she starts before cutting herself off. She shakes her head and inhales deeply before turning back to Hal. “Don’t want to ruin your date or whatever.”

“Date?” Hal asks, glancing at Penelope as if he had just remembered that she was there. “We’re not on a date. Just grabbing a shake, you know? As friends.”

“Still,” Alice draws out. She doesn’t know why she’s doing this, doesn’t know why she’s dragging this out. She should just walk home, should just turn on her heel and pretend like she’d never seen Hal Cooper. She takes a deep breath and shoves her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

“Seriously, Alice, get in the car,” Hal says, stepping towards her. He cups her elbow gently, grip loose enough that she could pull away if she wanted to. She doesn’t want to. “It’s hot out and if you’re coming down with something walking all the way to Sunnyside isn’t going to make anything better. I’m Penny doesn’t mind. Right, Penny?”

“Of course, Hal,” Penelope says softly, watching the two of them with wide eyes. She presses her mouth into something that should resemble a smile but comes across as more of a grimace. “I’ll just get my shake to go and head over to the library. Take care of your - of Alice, I mean.”

“Thanks, Penny,” Hal says, shooting her a quick smile but his eyes never really leave Alice, his hand never lets go of her elbow. He opens the door for her, takes her backpack, and helps her get into the car like she’s made of glass. He’s so gentle, so caring, that it breaks Alice’s heart. “I’ll see you around.”

Penelope opens her mouth to say something but Alice doesn’t catch it as Hal closes the door. He tenses though, shoulders drawing back so that he’s showing off just how tall he actually is. Penelope is glaring daggers at Alice but it’s nothing new. Hal snaps something at her, his jaw clenched in irritation, and Penelope jumps slightly, dragging her eyes away from Alice. They stare at each other for another long minute before Hal marches around the car and climbs into the driver’s seat.

“What was all that?” Alice asks because she can’t help herself. She picks at a loose thread on her uniform and tries to sound as casual as possible. “I don’t want to cause problems for you and Penelope, you know? I could have walked.”

“I don’t know why you keep acting like Penelope and I are an item,” Hal mutters. Alice looks at him out of the corner of her eye and he’s staring right at her. She can’t quite bring herself to make eye contact with him and he just sighs, turning to look at the road again. “She’s just having a rough time at home and I was trying to be a friend.”

“Right,” Alice says with a firm nod. Everyone knows the Blossoms are strange, have always been strange. It makes sense that she would turn to Hal for comfort. They were friends long before Alice ever made an appearance. “Still, you shouldn’t ditch her just to take me home.”

“Well, it’s too late for that line of thinking now isn’t it?” he asks, dropping one of his hands to the center of the seat. It’s a practiced move. Something that they used to do when they were together, Hal’s quiet question for affection. Alice slides her hand into his without thinking about it too hard. Hal glances down at their hands and swallows loud enough that Alice can hear it. “I miss you, Allie.”

“I miss you too, Hal,” Alice replies. She squeezes his hand and finally looks up at him. His eyes are facing forward, hand gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles are white. She wants to smooth her fingers over his cheeks, wants to kiss his mouth until a smile forms. “So much.”

“What about FP?” he asks, bitterness evident in his voice. He doesn’t let go of her hand though, so there’s that. 

“What  _ about _ FP?” Alice asks, running her thumb over Hal’s knuckles. 

“I know you’ve been running around with him all summer, Alice,” Hal says in that calm tone he uses when he’s trying to keep his temper in check. “I’m not stupid, Alice.”

“I have not been  _ running around _ with FP all summer,” Alice says even though it’s true. Not true in the way that Hal is implying but true enough to wreck everything. “We’re friends. We’ve always been friends.”

“Oh, I guess you just make out with all your friends then?” Hal snaps. He squeezes her hand a little tighter but she doesn’t flinch away. “How’s Fred’s kissing skills? Girls are always going on about how great of a kisser he is.”

“Fuck you, Hal,” Alice mutters but there’s no heat behind the words. He snorts a little as they pull into Sunnyside. They’ve run out of time and there’s still so much that she wants to say to him. “You know I’m not like that.”

“Yeah, well, kind of hard to believe when you make out with fucking Junior the night we break up, Alice,” Hal mutters, still bitter and angry. He parks in front of her trailer and stares down at their linked hands.

“You’re the one who showed up to that party with Penelope fucking Blossom on your arm,” Alice snaps back. He sighs and rolls his eyes, pulling his hand away. Alice reaches over with her free hand and grabs him by the wrist, squeezes his fingers tighter in her own. “Don’t. I’m sorry, okay? Just. Don’t let go.”

“Alice,” he says softly before leaning his head back against the headrest. Alice scoots across the front seat and touches his jaw, tilts his head so that he’s looking her in the eye. She tries to smile, tries to lighten the tension in his face but it doesn’t work. She doesn’t know why it would. “What are we doing?”

“What we should have done months ago,” Alice murmurs before leaning up to kiss his cheek. “I’m off Saturday. We should talk. Really talk. If you want, I mean.”

“I want,” Hal agrees with a nod. “I really do.”

She can’t help the smile that bursts across her face. The knot that’s been sitting in her stomach since that stupid fight loosens itself. She kisses the corner of his mouth this time, too scared to push him too much, before finally moving away from him, “I’ll meet you at Pop’s then? Saturday night?”

“Sure thing, Allie,” Hal says with a nod. He looks dazed, like he can’t quite believe this is happening. She knows the feeling. “I’ll see you then.”

She bites on her bottom lip to try and squash her smile a little as she climbs out of the car. She watches him drive away before she goes into the trailer, still floating on cloud nine. 

“You want to tell me why you’re getting dropped off by that boy?” Roger asks from the couch as soon as she shuts the door behind her. He looks at her with raised eyebrows. “Thought you were working all day.”

“I got sick,” Alice replies shortly. She shrugs off her jacket and drops her backpack by the door. “Hal was nice enough to give me a ride since someone was supposed to be out with the truck today.”

“Junior’s using it to run some errands for me,” Roger replies. “Following orders like a good Serpent should. You should take a page from his book.”

“Like I want to be anything like FP Jones,” Alice says, rolling her eyes. She lets her hair down from it’s ponytail, scratching at her scalp. “I need a shower.”

“You tell him yet?” Roger asks as she turns to go to the bathroom. She pauses with her back to him. “Your boy? You tell him that he knocked you up?”

Alice spins around and stares at him with wide eyes, “What?”

“You must think your old man is real dumb, don’t you?” Roger mutters, shaking his head. “You think I didn’t hear you puking your guts out every morning? Your mama was the same way when she was pregnant with you. Puking for the first two weeks and then nothing until right about now when the smell of meat made her sick.”

“It’s just a bug,” Alice insists, shaking her head. “It’ll pass.”

Roger narrows his eyes at her before getting up from the couch and going to the small bag that’s sitting on the dining room table. Alice hadn’t even noticed it so lost in her own thoughts. He shoves the bag into her chest, holding it there until she takes it, “I know what I’m talking about, girl. You figure it out and you get back to me.”

Alice clutches the bag in her hand for a second before dropping it to the ground, “Why don’t you mind your own business, Roger?”

He blinks at her, stunned that she used his first name, that she fought back a little, before bursting into laughter, “Oh, Allie-girl, you might have forgotten but you are my business. Tough shit.”

“I don’t need you playing the doting father,” Alice snaps because she can’t help herself. Because she feels sick to her stomach at getting caught. Because she can’t believe that out of everyone in her life it’s fucking Roger Smith who figured it out first.

“Nothing about this is me playing at being the doting father I know you wish you had,” Roger mumbles through his laughter. He wipes at his eyes and waves a hand at her as he goes to the kitchen. “You act all big and bad but don’t forget who made you that way. Me. By myself.”

“And what a great job you did!” Alice shouts, throwing her arms out. Tears pool in her eyes out of sheer frustration and the anger that’s built up in her chest since she did the dance. “I’m seventeen and in a gang! I have no friends and I work to keep this shitty trailer in our name! I’m fucking pregnant! So yeah, Dad, you did a really bang-up job!”

“You don’t sass me, Alice Smith,” Roger shouts, voicing bouncing off the walls. “I didn’t make you do any of that shit so don’t fucking put it on me. I did my best since your mama ran off. I did what I could to raise you right. Not my fault you chose to ignore me.”

“All I’ve ever done I did for you, Dad!” Alice screams. “The Serpents? Selling drugs? Hell, even my job at Pop’s. All of it is for you!”

“And dating that Northside boy? Who was that for, Alice?” Roger snaps. He glares at her before rubbing a hand down his face. “Getting knocked up? Who was that for? Cause it sure as hell wasn’t for me.”

Alice scoffs and turns her back on him. She’s done with this conversation, she’s done with Roger Smith and all of his bullshit. She’s barely taken two steps before his hand is on her arm, yanking her to face him, “You don’t turn your back on me, girl, you hear me?”

“Let go of me,” Alice hisses, struggling to free her arm. He just squeezes tighter. “You’re hurting me!”

“You’re going to listen to me, Alice Smith,” Roger hisses. He presses her back against the wall and grabs her other arm, holding her in place. “Whatever get out of jail card you think you’ve got now that you’re knocked up by some Northside prince is a fantasy. You know what happens when Northside boys knock up Southside girls? The boy leaves. He goes off to find his happily-ever-after with the perfect Suzie Homemaker. And the girl? She’s left with some squalling bastard that ain’t ever going to know it’s daddy. So listen to me when I say: either tell him and rip that bandaid off or get rid of it. Those are your options, you hear me?”

Alice chokes on the sob that tears its way out of her. She shoves at Roger until he finally lets her go, stepping far away enough that she can slip past him back to the door. She grabs her backpack and doesn’t look back as she stomps out of the trailer. 

She’s halfway to FP’s trailer when she realizes that she left her Serpent jacket behind. She’s half-tempted to go back for it. She feels naked without it gracing her shoulders, exposed almost. She’s had that jacket for so long now that it’s a part of her very being but she remembers the feeling of her father’s hands on her arms. Remembers how that jacket, as much as it’s a part of her, has always felt like a set of cuffs on her life. She straightens her spine, takes another step away from the trailer, and makes a decision.

_We didn't talk about anything heavy or light. We were just there together. And that was enough._

Alice stares at her profile in the bathroom mirror and sighs. She’s starting to show, a small bump just below her belly button. It could easily be passed for a food baby but it’s only a matter of time before she can’t hide it behind baggy shirts. She tries to imagine herself giving birth, tries to imagine herself as the mother that she never got to have but the image is fleeting, disappearing before she can fully grasp it. 

“Alice!” FP hollers from the hallway, banging on the door to the bathroom. “Stop hogging the goddamn bathroom. Some of us need to take a piss, you know.”

“Wait your fucking turn, Jones!” Alice shouts back as she pulls her shirt on. She tucks it in strategically hiding her baby bump and pulls her hair back into a messy braid. FP nearly falls over when Alice yanks the door open. “What are you doing leaning on the door? Moron.”

“You could warn someone,” FP mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. He frowns and eyes her up and down. “Is that what you’re wearing to the dance?” 

“Hell no,” Alice says, shaking her head. “I’m meeting Hal at the school and getting ready at the Cooper’s. Gertrude is home for break and she said she’d style my hair.”

“I still don’t get how Hal doesn’t care that you’ve been sleeping on my couch,” FP says, still blocking the doorway of the bathroom. Alice pushes past him, rolling her eyes, but he just follows her. “I mean, if my girlfriend were shacking up with another guy I’d be pissed.”

“Lucky that you don’t have a girlfriend then, huh?” Alice mutters as she packs her bag to go over to Hal’s house. 

“So what’s the deal?” FP asks, throwing himself down on the couch and raising his eyebrows at her. “Is it a secret or something?”

“FP, it’s been weeks,” Alice points out with a tired sigh. “Why the hell does it matter now?”

“I dunno,” he replies with a shrug. He’s chewing on this lip and staring at the ceiling like it might give him the answers that he wants. “Guess Homecoming is making me think about how weird it is, you know?”

“Hal doesn’t mind,” Alice says slowly. He doesn’t hate it but he’s not a huge fan either. Not because he doesn’t trust Alice. That’s not it. He just doesn’t think it’s very far to FP. “He trusts me.”

“But does he trust me?” FP asks, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking a little. Alice rolls her eyes and pushes his feet off of the couch. “I could be wooing you right now and he’d never even know it.”

“Like I’d ever fall for whatever it is you pass for wooing a girl,” Alice mutters as she goes to the small bedroom. Her dress is hanging up in FP’s closet right next to his Serpent jacket. She touches the leather for a moment, missing her own jacket for the millionth time since she moved out of her dad’s trailer. 

“You know he’d welcome you back in if you’d just ask,” FP says from the doorway making her jump a little. She tries to hide it under a glare but he looks far too amused for her liking. 

“I’m out and I plan on staying that way,” Alice says, shaking her head. She pushes his jacket into the corner and pulls out her dress. It’s nothing fancy - a simple empire waist thing that she’d found ata second-hand store in Centerville. It’s a pretty shade of pink that Hal insisted made her cheeks seem rosy. “Besides, I refuse to ask that man for anything. I don’t need him.”

“We all need family, Allie,” FP mutters. He reaches past her to touch the strap of her dress. She jerks it away from his searching fingers. He frowns and shoves his hand into the back of his pants, cocking his hip out. “I know you’re Miss Badass and all that shit but that doesn’t mean you don’t need anyone.”

“I know that,” Alice mutters. She trails her fingers down the dress again and tries to imagine how the night is going to go. “And I have people. They’re not Serpents but they’re on my side.”

“Hal,” FP says with a groan, rolling his eyes. “You think that Northsider is going to stick around? You think he’s going to still be here after we graduate? I know you two just got back together and you’re floating on air or whatever but you’ve got an expiration date.”

“You sound like Roger,” Alice says, voice flat and tired. “Since when have you seen the Southside as the end of the road for you?”

FP sniffs loudly and looks away from her with a shrug that she doesn’t buy for a minute. They used to joke about how out of the three of them, FP and Alice were the two who would never leave Riverdale. That all changed when FP made the varsity football team and the idea of a sports scholarship became a little more real. Alice wonders just when that dream died inside of FP and where she was when it happened.

“Some of us had to stop living in the clouds, Alice,” FP snaps. “Not everyone can just dream their life away.”

“And you think that’s what I’m doing? Dreaming my life away?” Alice asks slowly. She almost puts her hands on her stomach, almost moves to protect the unborn baby inside of her. But she stops herself. Just grabs her dress and goes back to the living room. She doesn’t know if she’s angry or sad or if it’s a mix of both swirling inside of her. “I thought you knew me better than that, Junior.”

“Yeah, well, people change when you least expect it,” FP mutters as he follows after her, shrugging on his varsity jacket. Alice stares at him, waiting for a real explanation, waiting for him to be honest with her. He doesn’t shift under her stare but he doesn’t give her what she wants either. “Come on. I told Fred we’d be at the school by now.”

He doesn’t wait for her before storming out of the trailer with a grunt. Alice gathers her things and follows after him, trying to tamp down the urge to yell at him for being an ass. She knows that he’s still angry at her for getting back together with Hal, that he’s probably jealous that she’s been able to walk away from the Serpents as easily as she had. Her father always harped on how she wouldn’t be getting special treatment just for being his daughter but it’s not a coincidence that she didn’t get beat out of the gang like most people are. She knows that if FP wanted to walk away, he wouldn’t get the same courtesy.

“Are you going to be an asshole all day?” Alice asks as she climbs into the truck. No one ever said she had good impulse control. “Cause if you are, I can just walk to the school.”

“Carrying all that shit?” FP mutters, gesturing at her bag and dress. “Don’t be a bitch and just accept the ride.”

“It’s not my fault that you aren’t getting out, Junior,” Alice snaps because of course she does. “You can’t get mad at me for finally doing what’s best for me.”

“That’s rich, Allie, that’s really fucking rich,” FP says with a laugh. He smiles at her but it doesn’t reach his eyes and it reminds her so much of the smiles she used to covet from her father. “You ever think that not everyone is ashamed of where they come from like you? Yeah, you act all big and bad and tough but everyone on the Southside knows you’re just as chicken shit as you were when you first did the dance.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

“You know exactly what it means, Alice Smith,” FP mutters. He clenches the wheel and presses on the gas a little harder. Alice clutches the door handle and straightens her spine, keeping her glare firmly turned on him. “You’ve been trying to get out of the Southside ever since Hal sat next to you at the quarry. I knew it. Fred knows it. The gang knows it. The whole fucking school knows it. He’s your ticket out, right? Your ticket to the white picket fence and all that bullshit that’s supposed to make people happy, right?”

“I love him,” Alice hisses. “I love him and he loves me and that’s all there is to it.”

“That’s why you spent all summer locking lips with me, right? Cause you love Hal fucking Cooper so goddamn much?” FP hisses back, slamming on the brakes as they come up to the school’s gym entrance. Alice jerks forward and covers her stomach instinctually. 

“I didn’t hear you complaining when it was happening,” Alice mutters as she gathers her things. Hal’s station wagon is in the parking lot but he’s not sitting in it waiting for her. She’s sure that Fred bugged him to help lug the heavier band equipment into the gym since FP wasn’t there to do it. “Now did I?”

“I’m not some sucker who’s going to look a gift horse in the mouth, Alice!” FP shouts, slamming a hand against the steering wheel. He points a finger at Alice and grits his teeth. “I thought you might have actually wanted me. That you’d finally seen that it was you and me. Not you and fucking Hal Cooper.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alice says, shaking her head. She laughs a little, tilting her head back. She should have known that this was coming, should have seen it from a mile away. “It’s been two months since I got back together with Hal and you’re going to bring this shit up now?”

“Don’t you fucking laugh at me, Smith,” FP hisses. She smacks his finger away but he just grabs her wrist and pulls her forward. He looks angry almost but there’s something so damn tortured in his eyes. Something that breaks her heart and hardens it against him at the same time. He lowers his voice and looks down at her mouth for the briefest moment. “Don’t fucking laugh when you know how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you.”

“Don’t do this, FP,” Alice hisses. She yanks her wrist free and pushes him away from her. “Don’t you fucking do this to me now.”

“You’ve been living with me for fucking weeks. Walking around in my home, driving me nuts,” FP mutters, shaking his head. He runs a shaking hand through his hair and Alice swallows down how goddamn sad the sight makes her. “What the fuck did you think was going to happen, Alice? Huh? Were you even thinking about me?”

“I was thinking about me,” Alice mutters. “For once in my miserable fucking life, I was thinking about me.”

She doesn’t wait for him to say anything before she gets out of the truck stuff in hand, slamming the door behind her. She barges into the gym, eyes already clouding with tears, and drops her stuff by the door not caring if her dress wrinkled.

“Hey Allie-cat, you drag FP here?” Fred calls over his shoulder as messes with FP’s drum set. “I, for sure, thought he’d be like two hours late and miss all the hard work.”

“Where’s Hal?” Alice barks not caring that there are tears streaming down her face. Fred looks over his shoulder quickly, eyes wide. He drops what he’s doing and jumps down from the stage and rushes over to her, hands out to hold her. 

“What happened?” Fred asks. “You’re like crying and you never cry and it’s freaking me out.”

“Just tell me where Hal is so that I can get the fuck out of here,” Alice hisses, shaking his hands off of her. She doesn’t need him fawning over her like she’s some fragile thing. 

“Where’s FP? Did you two or something?” Fred mutters, looking over her shoulder. 

“Fred! Where. Is. Hal,” Alice repeats, snapping her fingers in his face. Fred frowns and gestures over his shoulder towards backstage. 

“Messing with the soundboard.”

Alice nods and moves around him to climb up onto the stage. She wraps an arm around her waist and hastily wipes at her face as she calls out his name. Hal pokes his head out from the curtains with a smile on his face that falls as soon as he sees her. He steps out, reaching out to grip her elbow pulling her into the little alcove where the soundboard is kept. 

“Alice? What happened?” he asks, worry all over his face. “Did you see your dad or something?”

“No,” Alice says, shaking her head. She stares into his big, blue eyes and feels something crack inside of her. More tears start to pool in her eyes but she blinks them away. “Do you love me, Hal?”

“You know I do,” he replies without hesitation. 

“You swear that no matter what you’ll stick by me? Southside, trashy me?” Alice asks. Her throat feels tight but she knows that she has to say it. She needs to tell him. 

“Of course, Alice,” Hal says with a nervous laugh. “What’s going on?”

“I’m pregnant, Hal,” she mutters, flattening her shirt around her stomach so that he can see the bulge. Hal freezes and stares down at her stomach with wide eyes. He doesn’t let go of her elbow and that’s something but he doesn’t say anything else. “Hal?”

“You’re pregnant?” he repeats softly, voice barely above a whisper. Alice bites her bottom lip to keep it from trembling and nods. “Jesus Christ, Alice.”

“I’m sorry, Hal,” Alice mutters, keeping her eyes down so he can’t see her crying again. 

“Is it FP’s?” Hal asks, voice hard and cruel.

Alice looks up with wide eyes and hisses, “Excuse me?”

“You haven’t touched me in two months, Alice,” Hal says slowly. “Ever since we got back together, you haven’t touched me.”

“You really fucking think . . . Jesus Christ, Hal,” Alice groans, covering her face. “I can’t believe you.”

“You can’t believe me?” Hal asks, voice rising a little. “That’s really rich, Alice. Real fucking rich.”

“Stop being an ass, Hal,” Alice snaps, glaring at him. She gestures to her abdomen “Use your goddamn brain and look at me. Does this look two months pregnant, Hal?”

His eyes dart to her stomach for a brief moment but it’s not long enough for him to actually see, not in the half-light of the soundbooth corner. Alice rolls her eyes and grabs his chin, making him look at her. He huffs but doesn’t jerk away from her hand. He shoves his hands into his pockets and glares at her through his lashes as he mutters, “How am I supposed to know what two months pregnant looks like? I’m not exactly familiar with teen moms, Alice.”

“You’re so stupid,” Alice says with a disbelieving laugh. She lets go of his face and runs a hand through her hair. 

“I’ll pay for it,” Hal offers quickly. The words sound forced and like nothing Hal Cooper ever thought he would be saying at seventeen. Alice stares at him like she doesn’t even know him. “I mean, that’s why you’re telling me, right?”

She slaps him without even thinking about it. Hal clenches his jaw and keeps his head turned from her. 

“I’m five months along,” she hisses. “It’s a bit too late for that, dad.”

For the second time that day, Alice walks away before he can say anything else to her. She rushes out of the alcove, barely registering that FP and Fred are both standing there with wide eyes. She can’t deal with them right now. Not when every single thing her father said to her the last time she saw him is running through her mind. Because he was right and nothing has ever broken her heart like that before. She’d actually thought that the betrayal over the newspaper hurt. That was nothing compared to the ache that she’s feeling as she grabs her things and leaves the gym. 

Her feet carry her to her father’s door and she knocks before she can think about it too hard. She grits her teeth and schools her face into the smooth mask that Roger Smith appreciates the most from his daughter. He opens the door after she knocks twice, looks her up and down, and sighs as he waves her in. 

“You moving back home or something?” he asks, sounding tired. Alice looks around the trailer, notices how messy it’s gotten since she moved out. “Think I’m gonna just welcome you back with open arms?”

“You were right,” she says shortly, keeping her eyes on the pile of newspapers that have accumulated on the coffee table. She’d always hoarded them to herself in her room, reading each article carefully to try and absorb how to write a good piece. “About Hal and the baby. You were fucking right.”

“Well, I’ll be,” he says slowly, sitting down on the couch. He doesn’t gloat like she expected. He’s not that petty apparently. Maybe he can see the heartbreak all over her face. He rests his hands behind his head, groans a little as he stretches. “What you want me to do about it?”

“I don’t know,” Alice says, shaking her head. She shrugs and sniffs loudly. “Nothing, I guess.”

“Then what are you doing here?” he asks slowly. Alice sighs and feels another sob build in her throat. “Goddammit, girl.”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Alice says before sniffing again. She coughs to clear her throat and wipes at her nose. “I’ve got it.”

“I’ll pay for you to . . . go away for a bit,” Roger says slowly. He lowers his hands and sighs. “Sisters of Quiet Mercy. They’ve helped out a Southside girl or two.”

“And if I wanted to keep it?” Alice whispers. It’s a secret she’s barely allowed herself to have. Keeping the baby. Having a little family of her own. A family with Hal. But she has to ask. She knows the answer already but she has to ask anyways. 

Rogers face hardens and he crosses his arms, “Like hell I’m gonna let that happen. First of all, you’re too young. I’ve seen teenage mothers and no daughter of mine is going to be one. Do you hear me? You’ll go to the sisters, you’ll give birth, you will give it up, and you’ll come home. That’s what I’m offering to do, Alice.”

Alice lets out a slow breath and can’t help the rush of relief runs through her. It makes her feel sick. But she’s glad the choice is taken away from her, she’s glad that she’s not being allowed to turn into another Southside stereotype. She nods and wipes at her nose again. 

“Might as well make yourself comfortable,” Roger mutters, rubbing a hand down his face. “Might as well make yourself comfortable. I’m gonna make some phone calls.”

“Already?” Alice asks, looking at him with wide eyes. 

“You’re not getting any less pregnant,” Roger says with a nod towards her belly. Alice touches it gently and nods again. He’s not wrong. He stands up and pats her shoulder, two heavy thumps that make her wobble on her feet. “Don’t worry, Allie-girl, I’ve got it covered.”

She nods again and grabs her bag before going back to her room. It’s still a wreck from when she grabbed her things but the bed is still there and that’s enough for her. She lays down, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She doesn’t know how long she lays there, doesn’t know how long it is before she’s passing out and being woken again by a knock on her door. Alice cracks her eyes open and sees Hal’s outline in the doorway. 

“Hal?” Alice mutters, sitting up. She frowns at little and almost pinches herself. There’s no way that Hal Cooper is standing in her single wide. Let alone standing there in his homecoming suit and holding a corsage. “Are you for real?”

“Well,” Hal mutters as he steps into her room. He leaves the door open and glances nervously over his shoulder before sitting down on the bed. “You never said that you weren’t gonna go to the dance. Figured I’d try to avoid a repeat of the last time we have a huge fight.”

“You’re a dick,” Alice mutters, shaking her head. She eyes the pink rose corsage and swallows the lump in her throat, nodding at the box. “That for me?”

“Yeah,” he says, thrusting it forward. “Of course. You said your dress was pink, right?”

“Yeah, yeah I did,” she mutters, taking the box gently. She opens it and runs a finger along the smooth petal. “It’s really pretty, Hal.”

“I figured a rose was a safe bet,” Hal mutters, nodding. “Plus they’re your favorites, right?”

“Right,” she says with a nod. She closes the box quickly and shoves it back at Hal. “What are you really doing here, Hal?”

“It’s my baby?” he asks, taking the box and grabbing her hand instead. He runs his thumb up her wrist and Alice licks her lips. “It’s really my baby?”

“Yeah, Hal, it’s really your baby,” Alice mutters. She digs her nails into his skin but he doesn’t flinch. Thank god, he doesn’t ever flinch when it comes to her. “I should have told you sooner.”

“Yeah, you should have,” Hal says with a nod. He kisses her knuckles. “You should have told me and we could have gone through this together. You shouldn’t have had to deal with this on your own.”

“Hal,” she says, shaking her head. “I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t tell you. We got into that stupid fight and I barely even knew and then we broke up and I knew for sure but how could I say anything then?”

“You should have said something!” Hal insists. “I had a right to know, Alice. I’m in this as much as you are.”

“I didn’t want you feeling trapped, Hal,” she finally chokes out. She’s not crying. She swears she’s not but her throat feels tight all the same. “I didn’t want you to get trapped with the trashy Southside girl because she got knocked up.”

“Hey,” Hal snaps, cupping her face and tilting her head to look her in the eye. “I love you, Alice Smith. You’re more than just Southside and your more than that tattoo on your hip. I wanted to run away from this town with you the second you smiled at me by the quarry. This isn’t scaring me away. Not at all.”

“I’m not keeping it, Hal,” Alice says quietly. “I’m gonna go away, have this baby, and when I come back, it'll be like nothing happened.”

“What?” Hal asks, deflating slightly. She knows it's a relief that’s rushing across his face, knows that he’s feeling the same guilty rush that she had. 

“We’re kids, Hal,” Alice says, shaking her head and trying not to cry again. “We can’t raise a baby. You know that. I know you do.”

“I know,” Hal says. There’s nothing behind his voice and Alice knows that feeling too. “God, I know that, Alice.”

“I’ll write you,” Alice says. “Everyday. I’ll write you.”

“I’ll come see you?” Hal says but she can hear the question in his voice. There’s no way the Coopers would let their precious Hal visit her. Not when they know where she’s gone. They hadn’t exactly been welcoming since her and Hal had gotten back together. “Whenever I can.”

“Of course,” she lies because she wants to believe it. She wants to believe that he’ll be able to get away from his parents on the weekends or after school. That the nuns at the home would let him in to see her. She wants to have something sweet to look forward to. “And you’ll write back.”

“I’ll write back,” Hal agrees quickly before kissing her. It’s chaste and a little sad but Alice takes it gladly. “Put your dress on, Alice Smith. I want to dance with you tonight.”

“Hal,” Alice says, sighing. She’s not exactly in a dancing mood.

“Come on, we’re both up for king and queen,” Hal says, smiling slightly. “And I want to see you in that dress. Let’s just. Let’s just have one night?”

Alice licks her lips and nods. She can do one night. One last night with Hal. One last night being a teenager. Hal leaves her room, gives her a little bit of privacy so that she can change. She appreciates it and uses the time to pull herself together. Her hair won’t be curled to perfection and she’s sure she’s splotchy from all of the crying but she pulls the dress on all the same before rushing to the bathroom to do her makeup. She can hear the soft tones of Hal talking with her father but she chooses not to worry about it. If they were fighting, she would know. 

She swipes her eyelashes with mascara, hand shaking the whole time, and pulls her hair into a braid that doesn’t look a total mess before stepping out into the hallway. Hal is leaning against the wall, staring at his shoes, but he stands up straight when he sees her. He holds his hand out for her, the slightest of smiles on his face when he says, “You look beautiful.”

“You’re a suckup,” she mutters but there’s still a slight heat that builds in her cheeks. “You still have the corsage?”

“No, I threw it out,” Hal says, rolling his eyes. He holds it up with his other hand, shaking it at her. She laughs a little but it doesn’t sound very happy. Everything feels like they’re playing a role, like they’re doing this for someone else though she doesn’t know who. He slides the corsage onto her wrist and she’s entranced again by the simple beauty of it. “Matches perfectly, I like to think.”

“It’s not bad,” she says with a shrug. She glances at the living room before turning back to Hal. “My dad?”

“In the kitchen,” Hal says softly. “Said to have you home by midnight. That you’d be gone tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Alice asks. “That’s so soon.”

“Good thing we’re spending tonight together then?” Hal replies, pulling her closer. He slides a loose strand of her hair behind her ear and she tries to lean into his hand. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Alice says softly. Hal smiles even though it doesn’t reach his eyes before taking her elbow and leading her to the front door. She pauses for a second, thinks about saying something to her father, but there’s nothing left to say. Not really. 

The dance is both a dream and a nightmare all at once. Neither of their smiles reach their eyes. The punch is spiked so Alice is left drinking water all night as she tries to avoid FP and Fred. Hal doesn’t say much but he doesn’t leave her side, doesn’t stop touching her lower back or her elbow or her side. They stand to the side for the most part, swaying slightly to the bad musical stylings of the Fredheads but never really dancing. 

Alice is about to turn to Hal and suggest they get out of there, suggest they go to Pop’s and then the river. Anything other than standing awkwardly side by side while everyone else around them has the time of their lives. But just as she opens her mouth to say something, just as she meets Hal’s eyes for the first time since they walked into the gym, Sierra announces that they’ve won the crown. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Alice mutters, pressing a hand to her forehead. Hal takes her hand and drags her to the stage. “Hal, please, don’t make me.”

“Come on, Alice,” Hal says, trying to laugh it off. She appreciates the effort but she’s not in the mood. “Told you we might win.”

“I didn’t think you were serious,” Alice hisses as they get on stage. She presses a smile to her face and prays that her dress really does hide her baby bump. The stage lights are bright so she can’t see anyone in the audience but she can see the surprise on Sierra’s face. The same surprise she’s sure is on everyone else’s face as well. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Relax, Alice,” Hal whispers into her ear. “It’s no big deal.”

“Says you,” she replies through her teeth. They’re lead to the dance floor and some horrible Enigma song starts playing over the speakers. “Jesus Christ.”

“It’s not so bad,” Hal mutters as he pulls her into a slow sway. Alice keeps her eyes on Hal’s chest, refuses to look out at the circle that’s formed around them. She’s sure that she looks just as miserable as she feels. “At least try to look like you want to be dancing with me.”

Alice glares up at him through her eyelashes but he’s just smirking down at her. It’s not a relaxed smirk, not a bit of happiness on his face. It’s a smirk that’s begging her to try, that’s telling her that this is just as hard for him as it is for her. She pulls him closer, pressing her stomach against him so that he can feel the bump growing there. Hal’s eyes widen just the tiniest bit before glistening with tears. She bites her bottom lip and closes her eyes, resting her head against his chest. 

For a few blissful seconds, it’s just the two of them. The gym full of their judging peers, full of the people they’ve hurt and who’ve hurt them, fades away and it’s just Hal and Alice and the life that they created together. 

With his arms around her and the future looming in front of them, Alice thinks about the darkness her future might hold. Thinks about the dead end she’s sure her father thinks she’s heading to. Thinks about the boy . . . the man who’s standing with her against it all, who still loves her despite her flaws, despite the mistakes they’ve both made. She thinks about the life she still wants with him, thinks about the future that they’re still going to build together.

Tomorrow she’ll be at the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. Tomorrow she’ll be surrounded by people who at best are going to pity her and at worst are going to judge her. Tomorrow will be the start of the longest four months of her life. 

But she’ll get through them. 

She’ll get through them and she’ll come home and Hal will still be here. He’ll still be here and their life will move on. She’ll get her GED. They’ll go to Boston. And life will move on. 

Alice Smith thinks about all of that and makes a decision.

_So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be._

Alice squares her shoulders and lets out a slow breath before she knocks on the door. She adjusts the collar of her dress and tugs on the end of her braid. She tries not to fidget while she waits for someone to answer the door. It’s only a few minutes more before the door opens and Alice shoves her hands behind her back to keep still. She plasters a smile across her face and tries to seem cheery to be standing on the Cooper porch for the first time since she left Riverdale five months ago. 

“Mrs. Cooper,” Alice greets. Mrs Cooper doesn’t greet Alice back, just raises one eyebrow and eyes Alice’s cheap dress with distaste. “I was hoping that Hal was home.”

“I’m sure you were,” Mrs. Cooper says slowly. She doesn’t move to call out for Hal, doesn’t invite Alice into the house. Alice had been expecting a cold reaction but this is almost too much. “What are you doing here, Alice?”

“Like I said,” Alice says through her smile. Though at this point, she’s sure it’s more of a clenched teeth grimace than anything else. “I was hoping Hal was home. It’s been a long time and I’d like to see him.”

“Five months,” Mrs. Cooper says with a nod. She sighs and looks over her shoulder before stepping out onto the porch, shutting the door behind her. Alice backs up a step and holds her breath. “Five long months where I had to watch my son whither away. Because of you.”

“Mrs. Cooper,” Alice starts. She doesn’t know what she’s going to say but she knows she has to say something. Anything at this moment. 

“Don’t,” she snaps, holding up her hand. Alice sees the Cooper temper come out sharp and mean. She’d seen it in Hal, heard Fred’s mom complain about it, but she’d never been on the receiving end of Susan Cooper’s direct ire. “Do not try and justify whatever it is that you did to him. You broke him, Alice Smith. Do you hear me?”

Alice presses her lips together and turns her face away from the anger on Mrs. Cooper’s face. She exhales loudly through her nose and tries to ignore the way her stomach twists up at the thought of Hal moping around town while she was gone. She tries to ignore the way she wants to scream at Mrs. Cooper about Charles. About  _ her _ son. 

“I asked you a question!” Mrs. Cooper snaps, arms dropping and hands clenched into fists. She stomps her foot and Alice turns back to her with wide eyes. Mrs. Cooper’s cheeks are red, chin gutting out and shoulders squared, and Alice can see just how much of his mother is in Hal. 

“Is Hal home or not?” Alice asks slowly, knowing that it’s only going to stoke the fire. She doesn’t care. “If he’s not home, I will gladly get off your porch.”

“You were always rude,” Mrs. Cooper says with a sneer. Alice copies the look. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten the crowd that you run with. Serpents. Criminals. The lot of them.”

“Southside trash, right?” Alice snaps because she knows where this is going. She’s heard it her whole life and she doesn’t think it bears repeating. “That’s what I am, right? I can dress it up in floral dresses all I want but that’s. All. I. Am.”

“Do not speak to me in that tone of voice, young lady,” Mrs. Cooper says, crossing her arms. “I will not tolerate it.”

“But I’m supposed to tolerate you insulting me?” Alice replies with a scoff. She rolls her eyes and steps around Mrs. Cooper to bang on the front door. “Hal! Hal Cooper!”

“What are you doing?” Mrs. Cooper screeches. Alice ignores her and continues to pound on the door, calling for Hal. Mrs. Cooper reaches out and grabs Alice’s bicep, pulling her away from the door. “Miss Smith, I’m going to have to ask you to leave my property.”

Alice jerks her arm away, spinning on her toe. She lets her temper go and shoves a finger into her face. She wants to think Alice is Southside trash? Well, Alice might as well act like it. 

“Keep your hands off of me,” she says slowly through her teeth. Mrs. Cooper jerks back and scoffs. “All I wanted was to talk to Hal. And that’s his decision, ain’t it? He’s eighteen and you can’t control him forever.”

“Jesus Christ,” a familiar voice says from behind Alice. Alice turns around, fists curled and ready to swing. She’s had enough for one fucking day. Gertrude scoffs and rolls her eyes. “You two are ridiculous. It’s been what? Five minutes.”

“I didn’t start it,” Alice hisses some of the heat going out of her. Gertrude pinches the bridge of her nose and leans against the doorway. “I swear it.”

“I know you didn’t,” Gertrude says, looking over Alice’s shoulder at Mrs. Cooper. “Mom’s been itching for a fight ever since Hal came home all red eyes after homecoming.” 

“Gertrude Cooper go back in the house,” Mrs. Cooper snaps. She runs a shaking hand over her ponytail, adjusting it tight against her head. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“And it has nothing to do with you either, Mom,” Gertrude groans. She turns back to Alice and gives her a steady look. “He’s at the library. You fix whatever it is that’s broken in him. You hear me?”

Alice doesn’t say anything. She just turns on her heels and launches herself off of the porch. She doesn’t run. She’s not that eager to make a fool of herself but it’s damn close to it. She can hear Mrs. Cooper and Gertrude fighting on the porch behind her. She doesn’t try to listen, doesn’t even care anymore now that she has a mission, has a destination in front of her. 

The walk to the library is a quick one at her pace. She’s almost panting by the time she gets to the library, a fine sheen of sweat across her skin. She licks her lips and fans herself gently before she steps through the front entrance. 

The librarian stink-eyes her from behind the desk but Alice doesn’t pay her any attention. She can’t. Not when Hal is sitting at a table in the middle of the room. She tries to smooth the flyaways in her braid and adjusts her head band. She’s sure her face is pink and who knows what her makeup is like by now. 

“Hal,” Alice says after she takes a step towards his table. She tries not to pick at her nails as he looks up from his books. “Hiya.”

“Alice?” Hal says, voice soft like he doesn’t believe his own eyes. “What - I. I didn’t know you were home.”

“I am,” Alice says, shrugging a little. She doesn’t say it’s because Charles came early. That as soon as she’d given birth to their son, the sisters kicked her out. “Or well. I have been. For a couple days. Just. First day out.”

“That’s,” Hal starts, croaking a little bit. Alice bites her lip to stop herself from smiling. The tips of his ears turn a little red and she wonders if she makes him nervous now. He clears his throat and tries again. “That’s great, Alice. Missed you.”

“Missed you too,” Alice says, taking those final steps to the table and sitting down. She holds her hand out, palm up. Hal slides his hand into hers easily without any hesitation. “I wrote you. Like I promised.”

“I wrote you too,” Hal mutters. He runs his thumb over her knuckles and Alice copies the motion. “Didn’t get any of yours.”

“I didn’t get yours either,” Alice mutters. She’s not surprised that the sisters kept her mail from her. She’s sure her father told them to. And she’s sure Mrs. Cooper made sure Hal never saw a single letter from her. “Doesn’t matter.”

“It was four months,” Hal replies. “Of course it matters.”

“It doesn’t matter, Hal,” Alice insists. She squeezes his hand a little tighter and shakes her head. “Does it?”

He squeezes her hand back and shakes his head, agreeing with her, “It doesn’t matter. I still love you, Alice. Never stopped. Not for a minute.”

“Me neither,” Alice says quickly. Hal smiles a little, shoulders relaxing. It looks good on him even though she can see the dark circles under his eyes, the grease in his hair. He’s still the best thing she’s seen all week. 

“School is going to be so much better with you around,” Hal says with a sigh. He laughs a little and grimaces when it gets too loud for the library. “It’s been miserable walking the halls without you.”

“I’m not going back to Riverdale,” Alice says, shaking her head. Hal looks at her with wide eyes but she doesn’t wilt under his eyes. “I got my GED while I was there. Didn’t have much else to do. I’m officially a high school graduate.”

“Alice,” Hal says, awe in his voice. “That’s so amazing.”

“It was nothing,” Alice replies but she’s pleased by the praise. “Better than having to go back to Riverdale like nothing happened.”

“I should have been there,” Hal says, eyes firmly locked on the wooden table. Alice’s throat closes up. “I should have been there with you.”

“You couldn’t be,” Alice says, lowering her voice. “That’s how it had to be.”

“I know but that doesn’t change anything,” Hal snaps before flinching again at how loud he’d gotten. He lets out a slow breath through his nose. “It doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t there and I should have been.”

“I did what I had to,” Alice says, voice still even and low. 

She’s imagined this conversation so many times. Imagined how they would cry and cling to each other. Imagined how they would scream at each other until they broke up for good. Imagined a million different things but not the cool calm that settles over her. It’s a foreign feeling. No one could ever call Alice Smith cool headed in emotional situations. Hell, she’d proven that not ten minutes ago with Mrs. Cooper. 

“I hate that I wasn’t there,” Hal whines, lowering his head a little more. Alice nearly rolls her eyes, nearly pulls her hand away. But when Hal looks up at her again, she’s all cool, calmness again. “I hate that you had to go through that alone and I was just here. Doing nothing.”

“Enough, Hal,” Alice says, softly. She inhales sharply and looks over her shoulder at the librarian. She’s glaring at them over the rim of her glasses but she’s not making any moves to interrupt them. “We’re not talking about this anymore. It’s done and it’s over and we can’t change anything.”

“You want me to just forget about this?” Hal asks with a scoff. “To pretend like it didn’t happen?”

Alice finally pulls her hand away and let’s out a slow breath. She clenches her jaw and pushes down the urge to scream at him. To scream and scream and scream until it’s all different. Until she’s a different person with a different life. Instead she just says, “That’s exactly what I want. I want to start over. I want to pretend that the past four months never happened and that we were always happy. Is that asking too much, Hal? After this year from hell, am I asking you for too much?”

Hal presses his mouth into a thin line and sits up straight, crossing his arms and exhaling loudly through his nose. He looks around the library, eyes searching for anything that he can use to distract himself. Alice lets him have his moment, lets him be angry at her because he deserves that much in this shit situation. 

“Just tell me this,” Hal says slowly in that patient tone. “Just tell me it’s name.”

“Charles,” Alice answers quickly without any thought. She’s not so cruel as to keep that from him. “Charles Smith.”

Hal sniffs loudly and nods once before looking at her again. Alice can see the thousand questions floating there but she can also see him shutting them down for her sake. She can see him bottling it up and putting it away the same way she had handed over her son. Alice holds her hand out for his again and he takes it again without hesitation. 

For now, it’s enough. 

Alice’s job at Pop’s is gone, passed off to Daryl Doiley of all people, but they’re always looking for a girl to work the concessions stand at the drive-in. Especially when the weather starts to turn warm and the drive in becomes the Friday date night spot. No one says anything when she moves a small mattress into the projector room a week after working there.

She won’t go back to the trailer. Won’t go back to living in Sunnyside. She can’t walk those same streets like that place is home to her anymore. Roger checks on her once shortly after she’d moved into the projector room. He doesn’t say anything to her, just makes his presence known when he roars up on his hog with half the gang in tow. 

He parks his bike in front of the stand, the light shining in on her. She narrows her eyes but doesn’t move otherwise. She might not be able to see him but she knows that he’s watching her. She’s sure FP is with him, hovering behind him like the good little soldier he’s turned out to be. Alice doesn’t turn away, doesn’t distract herself from the moment. She’s stronger than that, stronger than him. 

The moment stretches on for what feels like hours before he finally shuts off the headlight. Alice blinks, trying to clear her eyes, but by the time she can see again, Roger is gone. He stays that way as the end of the school continues to roll by. Alice takes the gift for what it is and doesn’t look into it any deeper. She’s done with that part of her life, anyways, there’s no way that she’s ever going to go back. Not even for the closure that her father owes her.

They don’t explain to the Coopers where Alice had been and the Coopers never ask either. Alice knows that it tears Hal up inside to keep such a large secret from his parents but Alice doesn’t trust them not to push them to accept a life in Riverdale with their baby. She can’t go down that road again. She won’t.

Hal does break the news about Boston. He got into Boston College and his parents are impressed enough that they don’t pitch a fit. At least he’s studying journalism and minoring in business. At least it’s clear to them that Hal plans on coming home eventually, plans on taking over the Register like they’d always hoped. 

He doesn’t mention the fact that Alice is going to follow him. That they plan on living together. That she’ll get a job and try for a community college until she can transfer. Anything other than staying in Riverdale while Hal is in Boston. They refuse to be separated for that long again. 

Hal takes her to prom. Insists that they need a break from the drudgery. Alice agrees with a huff but there’s a smile on her lips as well. Gertrude takes her dress shopping, insisting that she needs something new and not from the second-hand shop in Greendale that Alice has gotten most of her clothes from. They decide on a pastel blue dress that Gertrude insists brings out her eyes. Gertrude styles her hair and does her makeup and when she’s done, Alice looks like a prom queen from a magazine. The Coopers can’t even find anything to criticize when she comes down the stairs to their living room. 

Hal stares at her with wide eyes before mumbling, “You look beautiful.”

“Really?” Alice asks softly, looking down at her dress self-consciously. She feels stupid in this perfect dress with her perfect hair and makeup, standing in the Cooper’s perfect living room. She’d never had a problem marching into this house in her boots and her ripped jeans. But put her here looking like everything that the Coopers have ever wanted for their son and she feels like a fish out of water. 

“Really really,” Hal says with a nod. He holds his hand out for her and she takes it gratefully. “You look perfect, Alice.”

“Perfect,” she repeats with a rueful smile. Hal rolls his eyes, already knowing what’s going on in her head. It doesn’t do much to make her feel better but at least she’s not alone. Not anymore. “Well, if you say so, Cooper.”

“I do say so,” Hal says with a smile. He grabs the corsage from the coffee table, a bunch of blue hydrangea that swallows her wrist. There’s a matching boutonniere that Alice pins to his suit jacket before they pose for pictures. Mrs. Cooper doesn’t smile at them but she takes a picture in front of the mantle without any complaints. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Home by midnight, Hal,” Mrs. Cooper reminds him, giving Alice a dry look. “No after parties.”

“Let them live a little, Mom,” Gertrude whines from the stairs. “It’s their senior prom, for crying out loud!”

“Gertrude,” Mr. Cooper says, the warning clear in his tone. Alice squeezes Hal’s arm a little tighter. She knows that the Coopers always fight more when Gertrude is home but it doesn’t make her fight or flight instinct any less prevalent. “Hal, you heard your mother. Home by midnight. No exceptions.”

“Of course, Dad,” Hal agrees with an easy shrug. He wraps an arm around Alice’s shoulders and guides her towards the door. “I’ll see you all tomorrow. Don’t stay up!”

Alice scoffs. They’re going to stay up. Hal and Alice both know that they are. They might not be blatantly rude to Alice’s face but that doesn’t mean that they’ve warmed to her in the slightest. Alice knows that if he’s late, even by five minutes, they’ll blame her. 

The dance is nothing special. Not for Riverdale’s standards, at least. They dance and drink punch and laugh and it’s the best night that Alice has had in a very long time. She can’t keep the soft smile off of her face and Hal seems to be in the same boat. They stick to themselves, not stopping to talk with any of their classmates. If anyone has anything to say about Alice magically reappearing, they don’t say anything to their faces. 

Except for FP, of course. 

He’s drunk. Alice can tell that much long before he makes his way across the gym to them. He’d had Hermione on his arm, of all people, or clinging to Mary and Fred, who were also at the dance together. It’s too much relationship hopping for Alice to fully comprehend. She doesn’t bother trying. 

“Don’t do this,” Hal hisses just as FP steps up to them. Alice looks at Hal with wide eyes and wonders just how much they interacted while she was away. “Please, FP.”

“Fuck you, Hal,” FP hisses back, shoving his finger into Hal’s face. “I haven’t spoken to her in months. The least I can do is say hi on prom night.”

“You ever wonder why you haven’t spoken to her?” Hal snaps, taking a step forward into FP’s space. He’s so much bigger than FP but that doesn’t mean FP backs down in the least. “You chose the Serpents, the Southside, FP, and Alice is done with that life.”

“Is that a fact?” FP asks slowly, bobbing his head back and forth. He doesn’t look away from Hal when he speaks to Alice. “You're gonna let him speak for you? You lose your voice while you were away?”

“What do you want, Junior?” Alice asks. She doesn’t step any closer to them. She doesn’t want to be any closer to him. Not when he’s like this. 

“I want,” FP snaps before looking at Alice. His face softens a fraction and she hates that that tugs at her heart just the smallest bit. Makes her think of all of the summers, all the winters and falls, that she spent looking at that stupid face. He clears his throat and the softness is gone and she doesn’t know him anymore. “To know where the fuck have you been? What happened to you, Allie-cat?”

“Don’t call her that,” Hal snaps. 

“It’s fine, Hal,” Alice says, curling her hands into fists. “I’ve got this.”

“Alice,” Hal says, turning towards her. Alice reaches up and cups the back of his neck. She squeezes tight a little before letting go and stepping around him. He reaches out and presses his hand to her lower back and doesn’t let go. 

“What happened to me is none of your business, FP,” Alice says slowly. FP scoffs and rolls his eyes. “Look, I’m fine.”

“That’s bullshit,” FP hisses, stepping into her space. “That’s total bullshit.”

“It’s not and you know it,” Alice says, shaking her head. “I left and I came back and that’s it.”

“I heard you,” FP says. He has the decency to lower his voice and lean in, doing his best to keep this conversation between the two of them. “You know I heard you, Alice.”

“And you were never meant to hear any of that,” Alice hisses, her temper finally getting the better of her. “Don’t do this, FP. Not here.”

“Then where?” FP shouts. He steps back and waves an arm. “When? You’re never around Alice. You don’t live on the Southside. You’re not in school. You don’t go to the Wyrm. You’ve what? Abandoned your home for him?”

“I’m doing it for me,” Alice says, pointing at herself. She laughs a little, bitter and mean and so damn sad. “I am getting out. Bettering myself. Is that really so bad?” 

“You abandoned who you were, Alice,” FP says, shaking his head. “You threw us all away like we’re trash. Like we’re the trash that the rest of Riverdale always said we were.”

“I don’t want to end up like the fucking Peabodys,” Alice hisses. “Or the Topazes or the Fogarty family or the Jones family! I want something more. Something better than a double wide.”

“We were family,” FP says slowly. She can hear the tears in his voice but she knows that he’s not actually crying. His face is bone dry in the flashing lights of the dance. “You don’t turn your back on family.”

“Serpents turned their back on me first,” Alice hisses. Hal closes his fist against her lower back, bunching some of her dress in his hand. Alice bats at him and takes another step towards FP, poking him in the chest with a finger. “They’re a gang, Junior, and gangs don’t take care of their own. Not the way a family does. Would have thought you would know that by now.”

“Fuck you, Alice,” FP hisses, grabbing her finger and bending it back a little. She doesn’t flinch but she doesn’t let him hold onto her. “Fuck. You.”

Alice opens her mouth to say something else, anything else to get rid of the way her chest aches, but Mary steps up behind FP and grabs his bicep. She whispers something in his ear that deflates him instantly. He doesn’t look at Hal or Alice again before shrugging Mary’s hand off of him and turning his back on them. Mary gives them both an apologetic smile that does nothing to make Alice feel any better. 

Once they’re both out of sight, Alice turns to Hal with shaking hands. He reaches down and takes them in his own, kissing her knuckles. She lets out a slow breath and watches him through narrowed eyes. She’s tired and sick of being around so many people she can’t stand. Hal must see it on her face because he offers, “Let’s go to Pop’s and split a malt.”

“And some cheese fries,” Alice mutters, smirking a little. Hal chuckles and shrugs. 

“What can I say? I’m a growing boy,” Hal replies, pulling Alice close. He wraps an arm around her shoulders, keeping his other hand wrapped around her own. “It’ll be my treat.”

“It’s always your treat,” Alice replies, leaning into him. They don’t go anywhere for a minute, just soaking up each other’s presence. She pressing her mouth to his chest and takes a deep breath. “Let’s go, moneybags.”

The night is ruined but Hal kisses the top of her head and it doesn’t feel so bad. Not when he’s there to catch her afterwards. Not for the first time since she got back, Alice is so grateful that she’s not alone anymore. 

The school year ends for Hal in a whirlwind of finals and seniors-only events and graduation. He’s the only one working the Blue & Gold now that Alice is gone. So he attends with a smile and then whines to Alice after about what a hassle it is. Alice reminds him that he could have brought on another person to work on it with him, that he didn’t have to hold her spot especially after he found out that she wasn’t coming back. He just grins and mutters something about how she’s irreplaceable. 

The morning that they pack the station wagon to drive Hal to Boston is a rainy one. Mrs. Cooper insists that Alice help her fold clothes while Hal and his father move boxes. Alice grimaces at Hal but dutifully follows the woman upstairs. She’s been stony-faced all morning and Alice is afraid that the slightest thing could set her off. The last thing she wants to do is get into a fight with Hal’s mom the day they’re moving. 

As Alice takes shirts off of their hangers, Mrs. Cooper folds. The room is tense to say the least but Alice refuses to be the one to break the silence. Mrs. Cooper doesn’t have any issues starting the conversation though, “I know you’re going with Hal to Boston. That you’re moving there with him.”

“Did he tell you?” Alice asks, holding her breath. They’d agreed that it would be easier if they kept that little detail to themselves. Why give the Coopers anymore ammunition to hate her or Hal’s plan to go to Boston at all. 

“I’m not stupid, Alice,” Mrs. Cooper huffs as she snatches another shirt from Alice. “I do know my son and I know you.”

“I highly doubt that,” Alice mutters. She pulls down a couple pairs of pants, folding them herself. “I’m just the Southside trash that’s ruining your son, right?”

“You’re right,” Mrs. Cooper says softly. “I don’t like you. I think - thought Hal could do better. But that hasn’t changed my son’s mind and if you’re determined to stand by him. I can’t fight that.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Alice asks, turning to Mrs. Cooper. The stone-faced calm has finally melted away. She’s puffy eyed and red cheeked. Alice clutches Hal’s pants tighter to her chest. 

“Because I need you to promise me that you’re going to take care of him,” Mrs. Cooper says slowly. “He’s strong but he’s always needed a bit of help. Always needed someone he could lean on. You need to promise me that you’ll be that for him.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing since we first started dating?” Alice asks with a disbelieving laugh. “What do you think our relationship is, Mrs. Cooper?”

“I don’t know what it is,” Mrs. Cooper says through clenched teeth. “Because my son stopped telling me things when he met you. My son started staying out late and going to parties and drinking when he met  _ you _ .”

“And what? You’ve suddenly had a change of heart?” Alice snaps. “You suddenly approve?”

“Not in the least but I can’t stop it,” Mrs. Cooper says, shaking her head. “I can’t stop it and I need to know that someone is taking care of my boy.”

Alice scoffs and shakes her head. She tosses the pants onto the bed and glares at Mrs. Cooper before she sweeps out of the bedroom and out of the house. It’s finally stopped raining but the sky is still gray and full of clouds. Hal is leaning against the station wagon, smiling at his dad, and it’s such a wholesome looking moment that Alice doesn’t want to ruin. It’s too late though because Hal sees her and can see the storm brewing on her face. 

“Alice?” he asks, pushing off from the station wagon. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she replies instantly, inhaling deeply and pushing whatever feelings she’s experiencing to the bottom of her stomach. She smiles at him and pulls her hair back into a ponytail. “Just needed to get out of the house. You guys done already?”

“Just waiting on my suitcase,” Hal mutters as he wraps his arms around her waist. Alice rests her hands on his biceps and tries to keep her smile as natural as possible. Hal frowns at her a bit but doesn’t push the matter. “Might actually get out of here by noon.”

“You know your butt is all wet,” Alice replies, pouting at him a little. “You're going to soak the carseat on the drive.”

“It’ll dry on it’s own,” Hal says with a small smirk. He kisses Alice’s forehead and squeezes her sides. “You know, cause I got such a hot butt.”

“Hal,” Alice groans, rolling her eyes but the smile on her face turns a little more genuine. She presses her forehead to his chest and sighs. “Definitely ready to be gone.”

“Speak of the devil,” Hal mutters before pulling away from Alice. Alice turns around to see Mrs. Cooper struggling with Hal’s last suitcase. Alice’s lone duffel bag is already in the front seat and she makes no move to help Mrs. Cooper. Hal, however, has always been nicer than her. “I got it, Mom.”

“Thank you, Hal,” Mrs. Cooper says with just as fake a smile as what Alice had plastered on her face only a moment before. She gestures for Mr. Cooper to come hold her hand and tries to keep her face cheerful. “You boys all finished?”

“Just about,” Mr. Cooper says softly. He kisses her temple and nods at Hal. “That’s the last of it.”

“He’ll make good time,” Mrs. Cooper says but they can all hear the way she chokes on the words. Alice turns away, gives them a moment of privacy even if she can still hear everything that they’re saying. “They’ll be okay.”

“Of course,” Mr. Cooper agrees. “Hal’s got a good head on his shoulders. We raised him right.”

“And Alice will be there,” Mrs. Cooper adds on. Alice inhales sharply but doesn’t give any indication that she’s heard. “They’ll take care of each other.”

“For better or for worse,” Mr. Cooper agrees. Alice exhales finally, a breathy laugh, and rolls her eyes. 

“Ready?” Hal calls from the car. Thunder cracks and they all jump, looking up at the sky. “Before the rain starts back up?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Alice says with a nod. She waves at the Coopers and jogs over to the car, climbing in before either of them can say anything to her. Hal’s goodbye is longer, of course. Alice starts the car and fiddles with the radio to occupy herself until he’s done and climbing into the driver’s seat. Alice holds her hand out, palm up, in the center of the seat. Hal takes it before he situates himself in the driver’s seat. “Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” he repeats with a heaving sigh. 

They pull out of the driveway, honking once before they leave the block. It starts to rain just as they pass the leaving Riverdale sign. They don’t let go of each other once for the entire drive. 

Alice is unpacking the last of their boxes, surrounded by packing paper and the various odds and ends that they’d collected for their small apartment, when she finds the small ring box. She pauses, hand hovering just above it and lets the moment sink in. The box was marked Hal’s office. He probably planned on unpacking this box himself. She’d beaten it to him out of sheer boredom while Hal was out for a job interview. 

She licks her lips and grabs it quickly. For a brief moment she’s reminded of when she’d had to grab the knife from the snake during her initiation. It had been the only part that hadn’t scared her. She’s scared now. Scared and thrilled. She opens the box just as quickly, just as wary like it’s secretly a bomb. 

She recognizes the Cooper family engagement ring without a problem. She’s seen it gleaming on Mrs. Cooper’s hand enough times to know what it looks like. She can’t remember the last time she’d seen Mrs. Cooper wearing it. She can’t remember the last time she’d cared enough to look. 

Hal must have said something to them. He must have. There’s no way that he’d have this ring without talking to them. She bites her lip and pulls the ring from the box. It’s a simple ring - gold band with a single diamond. Classic. She’d always liked it, liked the simplicity of it. But the thing she loves the most is the rose inscription on the inside that Mr. Cooper had added for their wedding anniversary. Everyone in Riverdale knew the Coopers had the best roses, despite what the Blossoms claimed. 

Hal’s key is in the door but she doesn’t jump, doesn’t put the ring back where she found it. It’s her, anyways, she might as well start wearing it now. Alice Cooper makes a decision and slides it onto her ring finger before getting up to greet Hal by the door. 

**Author's Note:**

> i really wanted the ending to echo hermione's story. i think i accomplished that. i dunno. this was a labor of love. not only for kim but for the characters and the story i wish we'd actually gotten from the show itself. we're on s4 and any hope i had of this show getting better have been strategically destroyed. so i wanted to get this right. or as right as i think it should be.


End file.
